The true heirs to the six paths
by kakashi97
Summary: The threat to the world didn't stop with Kaguya or Toneri as another Otsutsuki invades the planet to reclaim what he thinks rightfully belongs to him and his clan only. It's now again upto Naruto and Sasuke to save the Shinobi from ceasing to exists as they embark on a journey like none other to fulfill their true destinies. To become the heirs of the six paths. Time-travel fic.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey guys. I'm here with a new story. I had this idea in mind for quite some time and felt like it needed to come out. I know the concept of time travel isn't something new. There are lots of them out there in fact. But I promise you'll find this different from the others by the end of it.**

 **A few things about this story before you guys start reading. This story starts after Naruto: The last movie. So whatever happened in the movie is pretty much canon when it comes to this story. The ages of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Hinata are around 20-21. The main antagonist is an OC of my creation. So just go with the flow.**

 **I always welcome any kind of reviews. Positive, negative, bashing, anything. But please don't post the plot of this story in your reviews. If you don't like the way things are proceeding, you're free to stop following this. But don't badly summarize and ruin it for the other readers as well. This is my only request for you guys.**

 **Alright, enough rant. Let's get down to the business.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters (*except for the ones I created*) mentioned in this story. I do not make any profits from writing this story either.**

* * *

He was running on the rooftops of the buildings in the village like a maniac. His long hair flying back along with his new medium length side bangs. His orange half sleeves kimono with black flame trimmings was open revealing his sculpted physique under the full sleeves mesh armour. The tiles started to crack under the pressure, though his foot barely touched them. The force behind each step he took should be enough to tell us how important it was for him to reach his destination as soon as possible. The villagers stared at him with a mixture of alarm and shock. It's not every day you see the Hero of the fourth great ninja war running around the village like his life depending on it. Though they knew how energetic their beloved blond hero was, this was an entirely different Naruto that they are seeing right now.

But Naruto didn't care what others would be thinking of him. He didn't have the time to think about such a trivial thing. He had to reach his destination. And soon. He could see it. The Hokage tower in all its red glory. With Kanji for 'Fire' on the top of the building, the Hokage tower was a building which can be seen from the village gates too. And for the first time, he wished he knew his father's Hiraishin Jutsu. He never needed that in the first place because he can rival the Hiraishin's speed with Kurama's Chakra mode. But using it now would raise too many alarms. And also, he felt like it would be abusing the mighty beast's power by using it now. Though this wasn't a life or death situation, he really wanted to reach the office quick.

He ran straight to the office taking the stairs, neglecting the chunin guards attempts to stop him. He flung opened the door which cracked against the wall drawing the attention of the occupants of the room. His breathing was laboured and erratic. He looked straight into the onyx eyes which he hadn't seen in almost 2 years.

'He changed.' noted Naruto noticing the Sasuke made a few changes to himself. Sasuke now sported a tattered light brown poncho which covered his upper body and reached until his knees. He wrapped bandages around his ankles and a blue sash around his head which bent his hair down covering his left eye. No more chicken butt hair.

Sasuke and Kakashi just stared at him for a while before the latter decided to break the silence.

"Uh... Is there something I can help you with you Naruto?" he asked, feigning innocence. He knew exactly why the blond was here. He tried to keep the arrival of Sasuke a secret from everyone. Not even Shizune, who was assisting him with all his duties as the 6th Hokage knew about this meeting. But his plan failed.

'But how did he know that Sasuke was here? He shouldn't be anywhere near the gates to know Sasuke's arrival. I was told he was in a training in one of the training grounds.' Then it struck him. 'Sage mode huh? Damn. He's getting too good at this. If Naruto knows, then it won't be long before Sakura is here too.' And speaking of the devil.

"Sasuke!" gasped Sakura who just entered the scene. She was still in her hospital robes. She too, like Naruto, was panting hard. The result of running with all her might halfway through the village.

"Sakura, Naruto. What are you guys doing here?" he drawled out as if he didn't care about them. Sakura's heart clenched hearing those words. Two years. It's been two years since he left the village on his penance trip. And not a greeting or word from him since then. And when he finally returns, those were his first words?

Naruto, on the other hand, reacted a little different from Sakura. He walked towards Sasuke, held him by his collar and pushed him against the wall. "You bastard. You disappear for 2 years without a word and the first thing you say after we see each other is that?" he seethed, not out of anger but disappointment.

"Naruto," called Kakashi. A little commanding than usual."Let him go. This is supposed to be a secret meeting. So let him go and leave the room. Now." he ordered.

Kakashi hated ordering people around. It just wasn't his style. It was even worse when it came to people he was close with. But Naruto was the only exception. Because it was the only way he could stop the blond from doing something reckless. As much as he hated commanding people, he didn't mind it much in case of Naruto. As a matter of fact, He was thankful. He often wondered how much more difficult his job would be if the Hokage didn't have absolute authority over the village shinobi.

Naruto reluctantly set Sasuke free. When Sasuke just walked past him without a word, rather unruffled by Naruto's near manhandling, the blond couldn't stop himself from punching the wall in frustration. He hated when Kakashi used the Hokage card over him. Sakura too hung her head low with a little disappointment.

"As I was saying, I found something important. A scroll, possibly written by that Otsutsuki. The sage of six paths." Sasuke said looking at Kakashi. This caught the attention of everyone present in the room. All members of the team 7 remained quiet for a moment before Kakashi spoke up.

"That...is quite interesting. But where did you find it, I wonder? I mean, what are the chances of a lone wanderer finding a scroll filled with various types of Jutsu of unimaginable power written by the God of Shinobi world himself?" the masked Hokage mused. He knew it wasn't a mere coincidence.

Sasuke was a bit hesitant to answer for a second. But the look in Kakashi's eyes made it clear that he wanted answers. So he decided to tell him what happened.

"It happened when I was trying to master my newly gained power. The Rinnegan opened a portal to another dimension. So I entered to check where it leads to. It was a different world, completely devoid of everything. It was then that I saw an altar with the scroll on top of it. It was covered by a barrier seal though."

"A barrier seal huh? What kind of a barrier?" Naruto interjected, his curiosity getting the better of him. The remaining three gave him a stern glare to which he responded by raising his hands in defeat. Sasuke just shook his head and continued.

"I was hesitant to make a move at first but the altar had something written on it. Instructions on how to undo the barrier seal. But it wasn't written in any normal language. It was similar to the language that the stone Tablet in the Naka shrine."

"So someone only with a Rinnegan can completely understand the instructions to undo the barrier seal. Even the Mangekyou Sharingan couldn't get it completely correct. It is indeed an ingenious way to protect something highly valuable."Kakashi spoke his mind to which Sasuke just nodded in approval.

Naruto just huffed in response. 'So what if he has the Rinnegan. Still acting all stuck up.' he thought. Sakura on her part was listening intently on every word that was being spoken. She was one of the very few who faced an Otsutsuki before in the fourth shinobi war. She still sometimes has nightmares about Kaguya destroying the whole world. The war had such an effect on people. And if something is even remotely related to the word Otsutsuki, then it means business.

"But I think there's more to it." Sasuke said getting a raised eyebrow from the 6th Hokage in response. He took it as a cue for him to continue his explanation.

"I think it can't be read by the Rinnegan either." This left an uneasy feeling in the occupants of the room.

"But..but, what do you mean? You have the scroll with you, don't you? Then how is that possible?" Naruto questioned with disbelief written all over his face. He very well knew how powerful the Rinnegan was. He faced it more times than he would like to. Just to think that there's something even beyond the Rinnegan was a startling revelation.

"Just let me finish, dobe. I think the contents on the altar cannot be comprehended by the normal Rinnegan which Madara and Nagato possessed. However, my Rinnegan is a little different from theirs. I have 6 tomoe pattern within my Rinnegan." All three of them looked a little surprised at that.

They did notice that fact before but never gave it any thought. Who would have thought that the Rinnegan too had different types in it like the Sharingan. Naruto really hoped that Sasuke wasn't just trying to brag about his visual prowess now. Though he knew that the present Sasuke wouldn't do that, he had hoped to be proven wrong.

"Unlike Madara, I didn't awaken the Rinnegan myself. That Otsutsuki sage gave me this power. So I'm guessing he had a reason to give me a different Rinnegan. And the dimension that I entered was specific only to my Rinnegan."

Naruto and Sakura were trying to make sense of what Sasuke was trying to say. It felt like jumping from one branch to another rather walking on a road. But Kakashi was clever enough to put the pieces together. There was a look of disbelief mixed with fear on his face when the realisation struck him.

"You mean, the sage of six paths deliberately left back the scroll for you to find?" Kakashi asked. The straight face from Sasuke was enough for him to understand what it meant.

"But why would he do something like that? I mean, why give us the scroll?" Sakura asked. The same question was running in Naruto's mind. It made no sense according to him. Though it wasn't like they wouldn't accept a scroll containing lots of Jutsus created by Sage of six paths, he knew better than to expect something so important with no consequences.

"Remember how he helped me and Naruto when all seemed lost in the war? It was like he predicted the situation would arrive where he had to step in. This might just be his next step."

Sakura audibly gasped when she heard Sasuke's words. She couldn't help but imagine the worst possible situation. Kakashi too was thinking along similar lines. The room was eerily quiet for a few seconds before Naruto stepped in.

"Let me get this straight. You .." he said, pointing towards Sasuke, "entered a new dimension which you think is accessible only for you and found a scroll possibly belonging to super gramps sage, lying there, waiting for you to pick up. And you think its all part of a grand scheme that's about to happen which might be a huge headache. Is that what you are saying?" he asked louder than required. Sasuke just nodded in response. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I believe you. If there's someone who can possibly do this, it's only him." the blond said exasperatedly, pinching the nose of his bridge.

"Then what do you suggest we do now Lord Hokage?" Sakura asked with her game face on.

"Frankly, I have no idea Sakura. We don't know who our foe is. We don't even know if there IS a foe for sure. And please drop the 'Lord', Sakura. You can refer to me like before." Kakashi said the last rather sheepishly.

"But what if there is a foe? Someone like Kaguya or even more powerful. What are we supposed to do then? We can't go unprepared against an enemy like that."

Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi were surprised to hear Naruto talk so sensibly. Having been around him for quite some time, they all knew that the Uzumaki wasn't one for thinking. He always charged into a battle without any plan whatsoever and luckily managed to survive it. Sasuke was the first one to come out of his stupor.

"I'll have to agree with dobe on this one. I'll try and find out more about this. You guys inspect the scroll." he said.

"But Sasuke, you just came back. You can't just leave us..." Sakura was cut off before she could finish what she was saying.

"Sakura, this is not the time for such discussions. This world might very well be facing a danger even greater than Madara or Kaguya. But I made a promise to you, and I intend to keep it. Just, not now." Sasuke said looking straight into the bright emerald eyes of Sakura. Sakura on her part remembered how Sasuke touched her forehead with his fingers before leaving the village. She would never forget that memory. She believed in him. And so, she just nodded with a hint of a smile.

"So, where's the scroll you talked about?" Naruto asked. Sasuke put his hand inside his poncho and reached for a small scroll which about 6 inches and placed it on the desk before him.

"This is the scroll super gramps sage wrote?" the blond questioned incredulously. He wasn't expecting a tiny scroll like that. Sasuke threw him an annoyed looked before he continued to do his part. He opened the scroll and made a hand sign to retrieve the contents of the scroll. In a puff of smoke, a large scroll which was the size of the summoning contract scroll appeared. The scroll was white in colour with black magatama design on its edges.

Naruto couldn't help but marvel looking at the scroll. It was so exquisite looking that just the mere presence of it emitted a godly Aura. Sakura and Kakashi were in similar states. Their eyes shone with admiration for the scroll. They couldn't help but agree that the Otsutsuki had style.

"I'd suggest someone with good knowledge in seals take a look at it. As much as I hate to admit it, my knowledge in sealing art is...very limited." Sasuke said a bit hesitantly. He never liked being ignorant of something.

"You're looking right at him, pal." Naruto replied with a cocky grin. Sasuke stared at the blond for a moment before facing his former sensei. He gave a questioning look with one eyebrow raised. kakashi just nodded his head slightly in response.

"Yes. Naruto is the most knowledgeable person about seals in our village now. He's as good as Master Jiraiya in some areas of the art." Kakashi replied. Sasuke was surprised to hear this new information but did well to hide it. He turned back towards the blond before he spoke up.

"And when did you learn Fuuinjutsu? And how come you're good at it within such short time?" he asked genuinely curious.

"I started learning it right after you left the village. I knew you would train while travelling and I decided not to fall back either. With a little help from Dad's and Pervy sage's old works and Shadow clones, I mastered it no time." he said while brushing his nose with his finger trying to prove it was an easy task. But the fact was that the knowledge Hagoromo gave him helped him in Understanding the delicate art. He was making good leaps in medical Ninjutsu too.

"Oh stop acting so smug Naruto. I lost count how many times you ended up in the hospital while you blew yourself up working on seals." Sakura teased her blond friend. Naruto was visibly dejected by Sakura's actions.

"Oh come on, Sakura. Give me a break, will ya?" he drawled.

"Like I expected. You haven't changed at all, dobe."

Kakashi, who was watching as his three former students bicker among themselves, smiled under his mask. 'It's just like during their genin days.' he mused. Oh, how he wished he could go back to those days. Being a Jonin instructor was better than being Hokage for him. Handling three little brats was easier than the ton of paperwork he had to deal with.

He continued watching the three in front of him with a fond smile. The sheepish grin of Naruto, the faint smile on Sasuke, the heartful laugh of Sakura, he wished it would stay like that forever. Even though he knew better, he just hoped that things always didn't turn worse. He already lost one team during his early days. He just wished that this team, no, this family don't end up the same.

* * *

 _Time skip. 3 months later..._

He could feel the heat of burning flames wash over his face despite the fact that it was raining heavily. But the flames didn't seem to die down anytime soon. Not until they've destroyed whatever lay in their path. The smell of blood mixed with dirt hung heavily in the air. The smell he was so familiar with. But unlike in the past, he couldn't help but feel a bit revolted by it. It was the blood of his comrades after all.

He kept watching as his village burned into nothingness. The very village he swore to protect it from the shadows. The very village he previously sought to destroy, just like it was being done now. He felt ashamed of himself for thinking like that in the past, though it wasn't the best of the moments for self-retrospection. The Hokage monument which usually provided the best view of the village was now providing him with the sight he never even wanted to think of.

He knew the buildings didn't matter because the people are what make up a village. As long as they are safe, they can always build the village anew. Although the villagers are evacuated and shifted to a more secure location, he knew it would be just a matter of time before the assailant finds them and erase their existence.

It was immensely frustrating for him that he couldn't do anything to stop it. It was the first time in the past 4 years that he felt like he was clearly outclassed. The last time he felt the same way, he was facing his brother in a corridor of a small inn, 8 years ago. There was only one way to protect this village. And right now, that "way" was on its way here. Normally, he would never have trusted his friend with such an important task. Many things could go wrong and his friend was known for screwing things up. But he knew there was no one better than him when something threatened the safety of his village. He experienced it first hand. He became alert when he sensed a presence rapidly approaching but stopped worrying when he recognized who it was.

In an orange flash, his friend appeared before him. Covered in golden chakra flames from head to toe, indicating he was in tailed beast chakra mode, he approached the last surviving Uchiha with a huge scroll behind his back.

"Everything ready?" Sasuke asked though he knew the answer already.

"Yeah." replied Naruto with all seriousness as he returned to his normal form.

"Where are the others?"

"On their way. They should be here..." As he was saying, 4 figures appeared behind him. "Now." he finished turning to face the newcomers and as if to prove his point.

Three of the four figures; namely Sakura, Hinata and Shikamaru walked up to Naruto and Sasuke while Kakashi Hatake, the sixth and the worst Hokage according to himself, made six shadow clones. Sakura stood in front of Sasuke while Hinata stood before Naruto.

Sakura was staring into Sasuke's eyes with tears in her own. She was searching for the one thing she always wanted to see in those onyx eyes. She hoped, at least at the final moments, she could find it. And she did. But it was mixed with something else. What is... fear? No. It was remorse. Remorse that he didn't show his love for her sooner. She brought herself up and caressed the cheek of Sasuke which brought out a surprised look from the Uchiha.

She smiled despite the circumstances they were in. "Don't worry Sasuke. I believe in you and Naruto. You'll fix this and I'm sure of it. Then, we'll have plenty of time for ourselves. It's never too late for anything."

Sasuke's regret just grew more. Here she was, a woman who loved him unconditionally for as long as he could remember. And it took him and his pride the idea of losing her forever to convey his feelings towards her. It felt ironic for him because the reason he chose to stay away from her all this time was the fear of losing her. He couldn't bear it, after everything he had already lost. He shut his eyes to prevent anyone from seeing his tears. Crying was a sign of weakness and he needed to be strong now. Especially since the hope of this whole world was on him, once again.

Hinata held Naruto's hand tightly as if she was afraid of losing him. She wasn't worried one bit about the fact that she was going to die soon. Trivial things like her death didn't matter to her. But being apart from Naruto scared her to no end. After all those years of running behind Naruto, trying to catch up to him and wishing to stay by his side, she finally achieved it and before she could enjoy the blond's presence in her life to the fullest, she was about to be separated from him.

Naruto looked at Hinata and a small smile graced his lips. All his life, he strived to get better so people would notice him. He made it his goal to surpass even the Hokage so that people would acknowledge him. And that he did. He earned the respect of everyone in all the nations as the hero who saved the world. But little did he know that he had been acknowledged by her before everyone else. It took him 19 years to realise that she was the first one to see him for himself and believed in him. That she was everything he ever wished for in his life. It both amazes and embarrasses him thinking how dense he was.

"Don't worry Hinata." he said placing his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "Everything will be alright. We'll make sure of it." with a wide grin.

Every lurking fear she had until now started to disappear slowly. The warmth in his words and the conviction with which he said erased any doubt she had in her heart.

"Promise me Naruto. Promise that you'll come back to me. To us." She almost choked at the last part. Emotions were flooding her heart. She cursed her luck which seemed hell-bent on preventing her from enjoying happiness.

"I will return Hinata. For the sake of our future, I will. I promise." he said leaning closer to her to place a kiss on the forehead.

She smiled knowing that once Naruto made a promise, rest assured he will live up to it no matter what because that's his ninja way. And hers too.

Shikamaru just kept waiting for Naruto and Sasuke to have their moment. He wasn't going to interfere even though rationality called for it. He, for one, didn't even have the chance to have his moment with the woman he loved. She was in Suna with her brothers when fate decided to deliver another fatal blow to his heart. Just when it looked he got over his father's death and found someone to fill that void, he lost them again. And he was absolutely powerless to prevent that in both the cases. Fate can be cruel like that sometimes. And he will be damned if he even thought about robbing these two of what he missed.

Kakashi approached Naruto and Sasuke when they finished saying their final words. One glance towards determined eyes and he knew they were ready for their final stand against the wanton destruction of human life. With a glance and a small nod, he motioned for Sakura and Hinata to stand behind him. Shikamaru took the reigns from Kakashi.

"Alright guys. You know the plan right. So I won't bother explaining it again. Stick to it and you shouldn't have a problem. And remember, keep your contact with others to a minimum. Don't engage with them unless absolutely necessary. And most importantly, don't fail."

The last of the Uzumaki and the Uchiha clan just nodded in agreement.

"All the best you two. Remember that the hopes of this whole world now rests on your shoulders. It's a heavy burden but I know you two are capable of bearing it. Only you two." Kakashi said with a smile. Not his usual eye smile but a real smile. His mask was torn and his face was on display to the others for the first time.

" **Six Crimson Ray Formation.** " The clones of the Hokage yelled which were positioned in a perfect hexagonal formed a barrier around Naruto and Sasuke, glowing scarlet red in the starlit sky.

"Naruto, begin." Sasuke said as it was time.

Naruto in response started going through hand signs with an incredible speed and precision. Only Sasuke with his Sharingan was able to follow the signs which ended with clapped hands. A huge circular seal formed beneath their feet with six lines extending to each corner of the barrier from the seal. Hinata, Sakura, Kakashi and Shikamaru watched from the other side of the barrier as the two inside started to push their chakra carefully into the seal. The black seal started to glow with a purple aura in response to the chakra input.

A distortion appeared behind where the others were standing as the seal started to glow more brightly. A person came out from the distortion levitating. The person had pale skin and pale-blue hair which he kept in a long ponytail. His hair was parted down the middle in a zig-zag pattern, and his head was adorned with a pair of flat, curved horns which resembled bulls horns. He had sharp and stern facial features and his eyebrows were cut very short as a symbol of nobility. He dressed in traditional nobleman's attire consisting of a white kariginu hunting robe, baggy pants, a pair of tengu-geta and also wore a transparent veil over his head. With a proud smirk adorning his lips, he made his presence known.

"Well, would you look at this. The humans are attempting something new again. A pity that it won't have any effect on the current situation no matter how much effort you put into it." he spoke. His voice was delicate yet it carried a wave of authority and pride.

The four standing outside turned around immediately at hearing those words. Sakura and Kakashi took point as Shikamaru was ready to provide support to them. Hinata charged her Twin lion fist and was ready to attack while Kakashi's hand was enveloped in purple lightning. They were all on high alert as their enemy stared at them with a rather boring expression.

"You really think you can stop me with those pathetic excuse of... " he drawled and struck a thinking pose."I keep forgetting that word. What was it again? Ahh.." he flicked his fingers like he remembered. "Jutsu. What a pathetic name. Momoshiki was right indeed. You humans really are a filthy race." he seethed.

"Say the one who's responsible for all the destruction he caused with no regard to other's life." Kakashi shot back, his words dripping with rage. He needed to buy Naruto and Sasuke as much time as he could so they could complete the jutsu. If their enemy was willing to indulge in a talk, then he wasn't going to mind that.

"Hmph. You humans are such hypocrites. What do you do when a parasite starts sucking away your blood? You kill it, don't you? Do you have any regard for its life?" His smirk widened when he received nothing in response. " You humans have lived off on our chakra generated by the divine tree. I'm just taking back what was rightfully ours in the first place. That's all."

"So we are nothing but parasites to you huh?" It was Sakura this time, only her anger wasn't as controlled as Kakashi's.

"I couldn't care less about what you are to me. Your whole existence amount to nothing."

"But there lies the problem. You see, we are not like parasites. You are the parasite that came to our world and started to slaughter us." Shikamaru retorted.

That last comment struck a nerve with the Otsutsuki. His calm demeanour vanished along with the smug smile he always seemed to have. He frowned with disgust towards the four standing in front of him. He slowly landed on the ground and glared ahead with rage in his eyes. His Byakugan activated, he looked ready to kill them all with a single strike.

"How dare you lowly creatures insult me. I will obliterate your existence off his planet for that."The moment he finished his words, he appeared before Kakashi and Sakura. They were sent flying away by the force he generated when he rushed towards them. Air started to fill into the vacuum that was created as a result of his movement. Such was his speed.

Shikamaru moved his shadow to grab hold of the enemy before it stopped midway. He collapsed to the ground with his eyes wide when he fell prey to the genjutsu of the Rinne Sharingan his opponent possessed.

Finally, Byakugan met Byakugan when he came face to face with Hinata. He raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Byakugan? You are different from the humans then. A Byakugan is a sign of nobility though it might've been dirtied by human blood. Maybe I won't kill you then. I'll keep you alive. As my slave that is." he laughed maniacally.

Naruto and Sasuke just watched this exchange from the inside as they couldn't move since it would disturb the seal. They needed to focus if they hoped to prevent the world from complete annihilation. But they were slowly losing their composure. Seeing their loved ones beat down by him stirred up immense hatred from inside.

Hinata lunged forward swinging her hands at her fellow Byakugan possesser. She swept her legs to get him off balance but he simply jumped up. Hinata looked up but simply smiled. By the time he realised why she was smiling, it was a little too late as a clone of Hinata flew past the face of the Otsutsuki. A small cut appeared on his left cheek as a result. Hinata's smile turned into a frown when her attack wasn't able to do what she hoped for.

He closed his eyes and smiled as the cut healed itself in no time. "I must applaud you for you are the only one who was able to inflict a wound upon me. A feat, not even your so-called heroes were able to achieve. But I won't insult your efforts by saying it was luck though it is the truth." Hinata stood in front of him unfazed by his words. Her resolve was strong and clear. She needed to buy a little more time for the both. The process was almost over.

He opened his eyes and raised his hand, his palm facing Hinata. "But it's time to end this." he stated impassively as a grey rod emerged from his palm. It flew and pierced Hinata in her stomach in less than a blink of an eye. Her eyes widened in shock as the adrenaline pump slowed down. She coughed up blood as she fell to her knees. The area around the rod started to turn into ash.

"HINATA!" Naruto cried in anguish as he watched his wife die in front of his eyes. His mind went blank. Nothing except the image of Hinata was present in his mind now. The chaos, the fire, the barrier, the seal, the shouts of Sasuke, nothing. Red chakra started to envelop him as he unconsciously called upon Kurama's chakra. The Chakra was immediately being sucked into the seal but it was replenished before it can completely disappear.

The seal began to flash brightly and before anyone knew it, Naruto and Sasuke were being sucked into a vortex. The last thing Naruto saw before being completely warped was the ash statue of Hinata crumble and disperse into the air. And then, everything went dark for the heroes of the fourth great ninja war.

A stream of purple lighting hit the Otsutsuki, effectively tattering his veil and kariginu. He rolled his eyes in annoyance as he turned around to face Kakashi who was panting hard. It looked like the sixth Hokage put everything he had into his jutsu but it was all for nought.

"Yin release huh? Impressive. But nowhere near to be called effective. Why do I even bother explaining it to?" he said pinching the bridge of his nose.

Kakashi smiled at that. "Maybe this wasn't effective. But what Naruto and Sasuke are going to do is definitely effective." he said while trying to catch his breath.

The Otsutsuki just sighed. As much as he liked to toy with people and see the look of hopelessness and despair in their eyes before being done with them, he was losing his patience now. He just turned around and levitated into the air. He raised his arm and started to gather chakra in his palm. The red and purple mass of chakra started out the size of a tennis ball and expanded into a massive orb.

"Nothing can stop me. Not even Time travel." he said before directing the huge destructive chakra orb towards the land.

Kakashi's eyes widened when he heard what his enemy said.' He knows? And he deliberatively let them go back? But how? Does this mean, this really is the end?' he thought before a bright light blinded him.

* * *

He woke up to find himself lying on his back in a white empty space. There nothing except everlasting white space in all directions. He suddenly shut his eyes and held his head with his hand as it started to burn fiercely. It felt like his skull was getting crushed by a mountain. He slowly reopened his eyes when the burning pain subsided. He immediately found Naruto standing a few meters away from him. He got up and walked towards his fellow time traveller.

"Naruto. Where are we?" he inquired while he himself started to look around to make sense of where they were. When he received no response, he walked up to the blond and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. He slowly turned him around to see tears flowing freely from the cerulean eyes. There was no sound or sniffles. Just plain tears. But the most depressing thing was his eyes had no life in them. The usual flair, determination and warmth the blue orbs carried were no more present.

He could understand why that was. Seeing one's loved ones die right in front of your eyes while you stood there helpless can shatter their heart. He of all people knew it better than anyone else. That changed him to someone whom even he barely realised. Soaked in despair and turning that into hatred, he lost himself. No, he had forsaken himself. But he wasn't going to let that happen with the blond. Everything was riding on both of them and he can't afford something like that happening right now.

"Naruto. Get a hold of yourself. We need to find out what this place is and get out of here." It took a few seconds before he a got a reply.

"For what purpose?" Naruto asked barely above a whisper.

Sasuke was stunned to hear Naruto say that. 'His voice. It's so...hopeless.' he thought. His fears started to come true. It was just like what happened to him. But he wasn't letting Naruto take the wrong path now. Naruto saved him from the darkness. And it was time to return the favour. If he can't prevent Naruto from wallowing in despair, then he'll at least make sure that the blond doesn't lose himself.

"So you forgot all the sacrifices everyone made back there? Everyone who had all their hopes and dreams pinned on us?" Sasuke asked as he stared into the infinite space mimicking Naruto.

Naruto just stayed silent. He didn't have a response to that. He was torn between retorting back with' Of course not' and 'it doesn't matter in the end'. He didn't know why he was even thinking like this. He knew that giving up hope when everyone trusted him was wrong but somewhere deep inside his broken heart, it didn't feel wrong.

"Did you? Little Naruto?" came a voice from behind. Both of them immediately turned back with their guard up. But their guard unconsciously dropped when they realised who it was.

"Super gramps sage?" Naruto drawled, shocked by the sage's presence.

"What are you doing here Hagoromo?" Sasuke asked suspiciously with narrowed eyes. He knew all this was somehow related to the progenitor of the ninja creed.

"I should be one asking that question dear Sasuke. Afterall, this is where I live. Not you or little Naruto." the sage of the six paths said with a soft smile.

"What do you mean you live here? You are dead." the Uchiha growled. He needed answers but all he was getting was more questions.

"Exactly. This is the spirit world." That reply widened both the newcomers' eyes.

"Does that mean... we are dead?" It was Naruto's turn to ask now. But he had no anxiety or fear while asking that. Something that didn't go missing by both Sasuke and Hagoromo. Normally, Naruto would've wreaked a havoc by now if a bomb like that was dropped.

"Not exactly. At least not yet. But you very well might."

"Give us the straight answer. I know you have all the answers to our questions. So stop wasting our time." Sasuke was verge on attacking Hagoromo himself. He didn't know what happened exactly but ending up in the spirit world that was not in their plan.

Hagoromo chuckled in his mind.' Indra is always the impatient one.' he thought. "This is a limbo. Your presence here means that you are on the verge of death. Unless you die or be saved, you can't leave this place. This is a transition void between the real world and the afterlife." Hagoromo explained. Both of them processed the new information rather calmly.

"But I don't know what caused for you two to end up here." Hagoromo said as this was their cue to explain what they knew.

"I doubt that. But I will tell you anyway. No point in arguing with a dead man's spirit."

Sasuke words earned him a chuckle from the old sage.'He's changed a little after all. Must be Naruto's effect. But...' he looked at Naruto who still had downcast look on his face. 'He's changed too. Something horrible must have taken place to break his spirit.' he thought.

"A few days ago, a group of four started to attack all the five nations and collect the tailed beasts. Their purpose was to revive that damned tree. They were Otsutsukis just like you and your mother. But one of them was strong. Stronger than Kaguya. His name was Kagunshiki Otsutsuki."

* * *

Hagoromo had a grim look on his face when Sasuke finished his explanation. It was his turn to calmly process the information the latest reincarnation of his elder son gave him.

'This is indeed bad. So the people that mother mention that day did come. To think there exists someone stronger than mother is a truly frightening revelation.' He took a deep breath before speaking. He needed to choose his words carefully now. Even the slightest misstep would mean the end of the world. He needed to warn the two in front of them the extent of their enemy's strength but also be careful not to break their spirit. Naruto's condition made him warier than usual. He was unusually quiet the entire time Sasuke explained the past events.

"So...you two finally were able to finish that seal. And you intend to change the past and prevent them from coming to the earth itself. Is that it?" he asked. Sasuke just nodded his affirmatively.

"Come here you both. There is something I want to do to help your cause. It seems like you two are the ones to correct the mistakes I and mother did. For that, you have my gratitude." The staff in his hand levitated and started to float beside the sage.

Naruto and Sasuke book exchanged looks and did as told. They stepped forward to face the Sage directly.

"It seems like your dominant arm has been mutilated dear Sasuke." he said it like he just noticed it. Sasuke looked irked at that comment. The smile that graced Hagoromo's lips irked him further.

"This will hurt a little." he said he placed his palm on Sasuke's forehead and closed his eyes. The stump of Sasuke's missing hand started to burn. Both Sasuke's and Naruto's eyes widened as his missing arm started to regenerate with incredible speed. His hand was completely reformed in a matter of seconds but Sasuke fell to his knees when it was over. Naruto caught Sasuke before he hit the ground completely.

"Sasuke! You alright?" the concern his voice made Sasuke feel a bit better. 'He didn't turn into a cold-hearted loser after all.' he thought. He just nodded towards Naruto saying he was alright.

"Super gramps. How did you do that? You can wield chakra even after you're dead?"

"I didn't use my chakra back there little Naruto. I just used his own chakra to regenerate the arm. Hence the exhaustion." Hagoromo explained. "Now, both of you give me your dominant arms. This is the last thing I can do to help you both."

Sasuke got up and both did as told. They both put forward their dominant arm for the sage. Hagoromo made an all too familiar gesture by connecting his palms to their dominant hand palms, just like he did the last time. But the feeling Naruto and Sasuke got were different from before. When Hagoromo retracted his hands, they both looked at their palms, hoping to find a seal. But to their surprise, their palms were empty. No sign of any seal. They looked up to the sage for answers.

"The last time, I gave you the Yin and Yang seals to seal away mother. But there's no need for that now according to your plans." Both of them nodded understanding Hagoromo's reasoning."And I helped you awaken Indra's and Ashura's chakra and their abilities to its full potential present inside of you last time. But this time, I just distributed both of your chakras between you two. It will take some time to get adjusted to it, but your powers will amplify once it's done."

Sasuke quickly connected the dots inside his head and felt startled for a second. "Does that mean...Naruto will be able to awaken Rinnegan and I can use the Six paths Sage jutsu?" Sasuke questioned. Naruto was shocked to hear what the sage intended to do.

Hagoromo just couldn't control his laughter at that question. "I thought you were the smart one among you two Sasuke." That garnered two stern glares from the two in front of him. " To answer your question, No. Naruto doesn't awaken the Rinnegan. He doesn't have the eyes to do that. And you can't utilise Six paths Sage jutsu because your body won't support it."

"Then what did you..." Naruto stopped mid-sentence as he felt a little odd. Sasuke turned to look at what made the blond stop talking. He frowned when he saw what was happening to his friend.

Naruto's body, rather his spirit started to glow brightly and soon he started to disintegrate. Naruto just stared down at his body which was slowly falling apart with wide and worried eyes.

"Why did you do to us?" Sasuke demanded Hagoromo with narrowed eyes.

"It's none of my doings dear Sasuke. Look's like little Naruto's time is up."

"You mean he going to die?". Alarms started to ring inside the Uchiha's mind.' He can't die. If he dies, then It's impossible to achieve our goals.'

"That or he's coming back to life. I can't say for sure."

"Dammit. Naruto!" Sasuke shouted trying to get hold of Naruto's disappearing form. But he just passed right through him and fell down. When he rose back to his feet and turned around, there was no presence of his partner.

'Ok. Remain calm. We're not sure if he's dead yet. There is a chance he's alive like Hagoromo just said. So what about me then?' he thought, trying to analyze his situation. He was in a sticky situation and he needed to get out of it no matter what.

"Sasuke." Hagoromo's serious tone brought him out of his stupor. "Don't worry. He's alive. I can sense him in the real world. And you too will join him soon. So here are my last words to you."

Sasuke gave his full attention to the sage now. He knew the sage's words can be trusted from his past experience. So he was ready to receive as much information as he could.

"I managed to fix your arm. But I can't fix broken hearts. And little Naruto seems to suffer because of it. It's up to you to help him heal those wounds. You are more like Indra than the other reincarnates before you. And Naruto is almost the same as Ashura. Indra once dearly loved his little brother before they grew apart. Whenever I watched their reincarnations face each other, I hope they could become like how Indra and Ashura were like before. But my hopes failed every time. But I'm sure you two won't fail my hopes this time. So I'm trusting you to take care of Naruto."

Sasuke was surprised to hear that Indra and Ashura were once very much him and Itachi. But his surprise faded and regret took its place when he thought about Itachi. He still couldn't forgive himself for what he did even though he wasn't exactly at fault for that. he blamed himself for acting without knowing the complete truth.

'I won't let things happen like they did last time.' he thought. His resolved hardened and his eyes were proof of it. Hagoromo, who saw this smiled softly. He was sure that his hopes wouldn't drown this time. And before Sasuke realised, his spirit too, left the limbo and returned back to his body.

"Good luck you two." Hagoromo said to no one as he too vanished from the plain with a satisfied smile.

* * *

 **A/N: As the title says, it's just a prologue. I uploaded the first chapter along with this so give it a read too and tell me what you think. All kinds of reviews are appreciated, both positive and negative. The latter especially. It's a chance to correct the mistakes I made and improve.**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

"Naruto"- Conversations

'Naruto'- Thoughts

" **Naruto"** \- Tailed beast conversation/ Jutsu

' **Naruto** '- Tailed beast thoughts

 _Naruto-_ Flashback

* * *

His eyes barely opened to the blurry image of a woman in hospital grubs with her blond hair tied in a ponytail, trying to bring him back to life using her medical ninjutsu. But his body felt like it was stung by lightning. But medical ninjutsu shouldn't hurt. It was supposed to do the exact opposite of that. He could see the green glow emitting from her hands but still, he couldn't let go of feeling it had. And before he could come to a solution he felt it again. Only this time, the feeling was much stronger. It felt like he was tased in the neck. He sat upright on his bed, trying to regain his breathing. He felt like the wind was knocked out of him for a second there. He took a few deep breathes and slowly started to bring it down to normal before he lied back on his bed. His vision started to get clearer and soon he was able to see clearly.

"Whe...Where... am I?"

He barely managed to get those words out before passing out in exhaustion. His world went dark again, only this time, he wasn't dying.

He woke up from his sleep a few hours later to be greeted by the image of three people around on his bed. A blonde woman in her mid-twenties with brown eyes on his left, a white-haired man around the same age in standard Jonin uniform and a rather small old man in what appeared to be Hokage robes. It took a few seconds for him the process that completely before realizing that the blond woman was none other than Tsunade and the old man was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage. He didn't recognize the third person though.

His brain went haywire the next second. His head hurt with all the questions that started to pop up in his mind. ' Why is the third Hokage still alive? And why does Tsunade look a little different? And is that Kakashi sensei without his mask? Why am I in the hospital? Is this some kind of genjutsu? Why can't I move my body? Dammit.' And none of these thoughts helped him in any way.

"How are you feeling?" Tsunade asked with a medical clipboard in her hands.

"Granny. Where am I? How is the old man still alive?" he barely managed to ask her. He felt like he was completely drained off his chakra. He never felt this weak before. But he wasn't worried about that right now. He was in a situation he'd never imagine even in his wildest dreams. He knew Tsunade could help him with that. She was someone he could trust his life without a second thought. But her response was something he should've seen coming.

"Who the hell are you calling Granny you fool. I'm gonna rip you apart for that." Tsunade yelled loud enough for the entire floor to hear. She was about to hit Naruto with the clipboard before Sarutobi decided to stop her.

"Tsunade. Enough. He's a patient of yours. Do well to remember that." he warned her. Tsunade tch'd in response and began her inspection, rather begrudgingly.

"Alright. Just say yes or no to the following questions." she spoke with narrowed eyes towards her blond patient. "Can you hear properly?" She got an approving nod in response. She just ticked in a box in her clipboard. The same thing repeated for the next few questions she enquired about his basic functions such as eyesight, breathing etc.

"He looks fine. He just needs time to recover from his injuries. I'd say a few weeks at the most." She told the Hokage." Now that my job here is done, I'm leaving him to you Sakumo. He's all yours now." she said, turning towards the silver-haired man. The now identified Sakumo nodded his head with a small smile.

The air in the room began to turn heavy the moment Tsunade left. Naruto noticed the tense looks on Hiruzen's and the white-haired man's faces. He didn't know why but he didn't have a good feeling about what was about to happen. If their plan succeeded, they should've ended up somewhere around the time of the fourth great ninja war. His thought process was cut off when he heard Hiruzen cleared his throat, possibly to gain his attention.

"We have a few questions for you. But I can understand if you want to rest for a while before we get on that." Hiruzen said the last part a bit reluctantly though his concern sounded genuine.

Naruto found this as a chance to get some answers. "I would like to rest for a while. I don't think I have much energy in me right now." he said weakly facing the wall. And that wasn't a lie either. He really did feel like that.

"It's alright. We'll be back to see you tomorrow morning then. I wish you a speedy recovery. I'll leave one of ANBU guards and Sakumo outside your room. In case you need any help." Naruto knew that was a lie. They were placed to keep an eye on him. Soon, the Hokage and Sakumo proceeded to walk out of the room.

'So I'm already being watched huh? This is not good. I need to talk to Kurama about this.' And with that thought, he closed his eyes and entered his mind space. He was standing in the all too familiar sewer with its giant inhabitant sleeping with its head on the legs.

"Oi, Kurama. What happened back there?" he immediately questioned his longtime companion. The fox just opened one eye to look at Naruto before closing it back.

" **You screwed up is what happened**." he grunted with closed eyes.

"What do you mean I screwed up?" Naruto shot back.

" **Exactly what I said brat**." the fox growled with a hint of irritation.

"Hey. Just give me a straight answer. ok?" Naruto almost yelled in frustration. He couldn't understand what was going on around and now, the only one he thought could shed some light was trying to avoid him? It was all just adding up to his pent-up rage.

" **You want straight answers? Here it is then. We ended up somewhere we shouldn't have. We possibly travelled further into the past than we intended to, thanks to you. We are not 3 years back in the past. This is not the time of fourth great ninja war. If my guess is right, I'd say we are around 30 years in the past**."

That shook the blond to his core. His eyes widened when he heard what most probably happened. He couldn't believe what he heard. He didn't want to. He wanted to scream back at the tailed beast in front of him for cracking jokes at a time like this but he knew it wasn't a joke. The irritation in the beast's heavy voice made sure of it.

"How?" he questioned, with disbelief written all over his face.

Kurama hesitated to tell him for a second but realised he had to. If they were to make things right, being blunt was the only way. " **When your wife died, your emotions hit the peak. The seal that holds me inside you drew out my chakra without you even realising it. The seal was designed in a such a way so that it draws on my power whenever you are feeling strong emotions**."

Naruto recalled the events when he manifested Kurama's chakra for the first time.' The time when I thought Sasuke died while fighting Haku.' Then the second time.' When I faced Orochimaru in the forest of death.' And then the next. ' When I was thrown into the trench by pervy sage.' And all the incidents when drew the tailed beasts chakra. Every instance had one thing in common. He was overflowing with strong emotions. Be that sadness, fear of death or hatred.

" **The time travel seal absorbed the chakra that was pulled out from me. And you know how that seal works right? The amount needs to perfect for us to end up in the right place**." Kurama finished.

Naruto's disbelief slowly started to fade away. Everything started to make sense now. And he now understood why Kurama said it was his fault. He let the emotions get in the way. He opened his mouth trying to say something but nothing came out. All the worries he had a few minutes ago vanished. Only one thought raced his mind now. He failed. Again. He lost his wife in the process of trying to save the world and now, he messed up their only chance. He stared blankly at his reflection below him.

"So I did mess up." he whispered. 'And I lost my chance of saving the world. The chance to keep the promise I made to Hinata.' he thought. He remembered how she smiled, even on the verge of her death. A soft and satisfied smile with a trail of blood oozing from her mouth down her chin. The pain he felt when he remembered that made him fall to his knees. He let out the tears he kept holding back all this time.

"All of this... It's my fault. Mine. Mine. Mine." he cried, repeatedly punching his reflection in the water below.

Kurama felt a pang of guilt while looking at his former jailor. He regretted blaming Naruto for the screw-up. He mentally kicked himself for pinning on the fault on the Jhinchuriki.

" **Naruto, this is not your fault. The boon that saved your life so many times in the past turned into a bane this time. We just ran out of luck. That's it. No ones to blame here**."

"No! I messed up. If I kept my emotions in control, this wouldn't have happened." The tears that he shed didn't seem to have a limit at this point.

" **Are you even listening to me? Your wife was killed right in front of you. No man could've controlled his emotions when something like that happens. And If you could've controlled your emotions, then you're no man**." Kurama roared. He had enough of the blond's self-berating tirade and wanted to put a stop to it. And he achieved it. Naruto stopped punching and looked up to face the giant fox with an anguished look in eyes.

" **Listen to me Naruto. I've been watching you for 20 years, right from the moment you were born. I know how much you suffered and how you felt about it. I know every struggle you faced and how you overcame them. And I also know that this is just another struggle that you'll have to overcome. So stop whining about the past and focus on the future. You did promise your wife that you'll make this problem go away, remember**?"

Naruto listened to every word Kurama said carefully. He kept quiet for a few seconds before slowly turning around. "Promises mean nothing when people are dead Kurama. They just become empty words. A former shell of themselves. Just like me." and with that, the blond walked away before disappearing.

Kurama just stared at the place where Naruto disappeared. He couldn't get the image of Naruto with his shoulders slumped, head low and completely hopeless walking away from him. Seeing the most optimistic person he'd ever known broken to such extent caused something he never felt before. Fear. Not for his life, but for the future. He was afraid of what the future holds for the blond. He just hoped that somehow, someone would change Naruto and return him to normal self.

* * *

"Third Hokage, I request a private audience with just you, me and Naruto. Everyone else leaves. Even your most trusted ANBU."

"I'm sorry but if you think we would leave our Hokage with you two alone, then you're wrong. We may not know your identities but you two clearly are no ordinary Shinobi. How do you expect we can agree to something like that."

"I can understand your reasoning. But we bear no ill intentions towards the Hokage or this village."

"But how can we trust-"

"That's enough Sakumo. You talk like I'm a little child. I'm the Hokage for a reason you know." Sarutobi cut off his trusted subordinate with a small chuckle.

"Stop boasting old man." Tsunade said irritated by her sensei's lack of seriousness in the issue.

"That's not what I meant Lord Hokage." Sakumo said in an apologetic tone with a bow.

"Relax Sakumo. Let's hear out the young man first." With that, Sarutobi faced Sasuke and gave a small nod, a gesture indicating him to continue.

Sasuke woke up nearly a couple of hours ago from his slumber. Like Naruto, he too was shocked to see Hiruzen still alive. He didn't understand what had transpired for him to end up in a situation like this. When Tsunade asked how he had two arms now where he had only one arm when he was found, he just said he always had two arms and they must've made a mistake. He chose to lie than to explain the truth and look even more suspicious.

When the necessary inspections completed, he requested to talk with Naruto but his request was immediately denied. When he demanded the reason, he was told that Naruto denied talking to them and even showed signs of hostility forcing them to place him in the Torture and Interrogation cell. He expected Naruto to behave differently but to show hostility against the very people he loved, he didn't believe it. He just concluded that it was a made-up reason to get answers out of Naruto. He knew that though Konoha wasn't as militaristic as other villages, they wouldn't mind taking drastic measures for its safety.

Right now, his pile of problems just kept increasing. First, his friend seemed broken. Second, he was in a terrible condition with bandages all over his bodies in an unforeseen situation. And now, his heart broken friend is in prison and possibly being tortured. He saw only one way to solve this problem. And that ended up with him making a request which was currently being denied.

"As I said before, I need to talk to you alone third Hokage. And I want Naruto to be present too. _No one else_." he pressed the last part so that his intentions were properly conveyed.

Sarutobi closed his eyes and started to think. That was a good sign for Sasuke. The request wasn't flat out rejected. When Sarutobi opened his eyes, Sasuke could see a hint of curiosity in them.

"Alright. I agree." the Hokage said shocking both Tsunade and Sakumo. They both began to protest but were silenced by his raised hand.

"I'm not done yet. I agree but there are a few conditions."

"What are these conditions of yours?" Sasuke questioned narrowed eyes. Something told him he wouldn't like them.

"First, our meeting will take place in T&I cell where your partner is currently being held. Two, your chakra will be sealed off before our talk starts. Those are the only terms on which I'll grant you your request." The way Sarutobi said those words spoke volumes about his prowess at being a Hokage. He carried a wave of authority and assurance at the same time.

Sasuke took a moment to think this through. He has only one chance and he needs to play this right.

"I decline. I can't let you seal off our chakras." he finally answered.

"So you do intend to attack sensei during that. I knew you couldn't be trusted the moment I saw you." Tsunade didn't hold back her thoughts this time. He looked suspicious to her in more than one ways. And he wasn't a pushover in any way. She doubted if she could take on him and hope to win.

"You couldn't be any more wrong Senju. As I said before, I hold no ill intentions towards the Hokage or the village. I don't intend to display any hostility either." he said with a smirk. He was getting under nerves and made the men think deeper about his words. 'Looks my plan is working.' he thought.

"If so, then why do object to your chakra being sealed off? You don't need chakra to talk." Sakumo questioned. His tone was more curious and less demanding than before.

"The things I want to tell and ask the Hokage are highly confidential. I can't afford to someone else eavesdrop on us." he stated impassively and left the remaining occupants of the room speechless. 'How are those two related anyway?' they thought.

"Make some sense, will you? What you said is totally unrelated to Sakumo's question." Tsunade almost yelled. She was losing her patience with every word that left Sasuke's mouth.

"Naruto is an expert in seals. He'll place a privacy seal around the room our meeting takes place." he explained, still as impassive as ever. He found out that keeping a straight face can help you around cautious people. And Hiruzen was just that.

"If privacy is the only thing you're concerned, we can do that for you. Konoha has its fair share of seal experts." It was Hiruzen who spoke this time.

Sasuke, who saw this coming, smirked again. It was going exactly as he planned. It was now time to play his final card. "It's funny how you people expect me to trust you guys when you don't trust me one bit. Trust is a two-way street. Is it not?"

"Of course we don't trust you. You're an enemy ninja who infiltrated our village undetected. It's only because you both were on the verge of death that we found you before anything happened. How can we trust you if everything about your presence in this village sounds shady!" Tsunade burst out. She had enough of those clever words and the smug smile. She knew he was trying to play them and get what he wanted with his words. And she wouldn't just stand there and let that happened.

"If I really was your enemy and destroying the village was my aim, then you should know by now that you can't hope to stop us both. If your reputation is anything to go by, then you already should have a good analysis of our strengths." he replied facing Tsunade and Sakumo, irritated by her interference.

"Isn't that the reason why you're agreeing to talk to us instead of interrogating by force, Hokage?" Sasuke continued, only this time, he stared right into Hiruzen's eyes. His intense glare would've been enough to knock out any normal Shinobi. But Hiruzen wasn't any normal Shinobi. He was the Third Hokage of the Konoha, a student of both the First and Second Hokages, touted as the second 'God of Shinobi'. He stood his ground firmly.

Tsunade wanted to laugh at the possibility of a whole village being wiped out just two Shinobi. As far she knew, there were only two Shinobi in the history who could achieve something like that. One was Hashirama Senju, her grandfather and Madara Uchiha, both of them who were long dead. But the grim look on her sensei's face made her wonder about it.

After a long silence, Hiruzen let out a deep sigh from his mouth. "Fine. I'll agree to your terms. But his chakra will be sealed off the next moment he places the privacy seal. I will personally make sure to that. And yours even before. If you won't agree to this, then consider your request denied." Hiruzen's more than serious tone made sure that there was no room for any further negotiations.

"I agree." Sasuke replied instantly without any hesitation. He found no problem with this arrangement. He was getting what he wanted, though it would be a little inconvenient with his chakra network shut down.

"Rest for a while. I'll send Sakumo to escort you to our meeting place once all the necessary arrangements are made. If that is all, I'll take my leave now."

"Ok." came the short reply.

Hiruzen just nodded back, acknowledging the response. He motioned for Tsunade and Sakumo to follow him as he turned around to leave the room. They followed him promptly without a word, courtesy of the stern look on his face. When he opened the door halfway, he stopped in his tracks and glanced back towards the bed where Sasuke was sitting upright.

"One more thing. I don't care how strong and capable you both are. The moment I decide that you are a threat to this village, I'll kill you both. Even at the cost of my own life. Do well to remember that."

That warning didn't sound like a bluff to Sasuke. He knew the Hokage had every intention to do what he said. He just nodded conveying he got the message.

Sakumo was a little shocked to hear that. He had never seen the Hokage so serious. Not even on the battlefield in the second great ninja war. He just wondered how strong Sasuke was to push their Hokage to the limit.

Tsunade was proud of her sensei. ' Looks like the old man still got it in him. No wonder grandfather passed the will of fire to him.' She thought. But she remembered how grim the old Sarutobi's face was back then. She too wondered how powerful the newcomers were. But she had faith her sensei could deal with them.

* * *

Stern Onyx eyes pierced into sombre blue ones. Sasuke was staring into Naruto's eyes as if trying to find something that is lost in the deepest trenches of an ocean. But was he successful in finding it? No. Not even remotely close. The deeper he searched, the darker it kept getting. The faintest glimmer of hope the blond had in the limbo was now gone. He didn't know the reason but Naruto started to look more and more like him when he ended up as the lone survivor of the Uchiha massacre. Gloomy, subdued, down-cast, dispirited, lifeless. He could go on but found no use in it. Just like his previous attempts to engage the blond in a conversation.

"I'm guessing you had something to do with us ending up in the wrong place. Or should I say wrong time?" He decided to be blunt this time. Things weren't going as planned and the last thing he wanted was being ignored by the only person he could trust.

"Yeah." came the reply, barely above a whisper.

"Guessed it. So how do you plan on getting us out of this mess?"

"No idea. I don't think I even can. I'll just screw up more instead." His look never shifting from the bright shining spot on the steel table in front of him.

"That won't cut it dobe. You got me into this. Now get me out. We have a world to save."

Naruto let out a humourless laugh before returning to stare at the spot. " That is precisely why I can't help you. You'd be better off on your own trying to save this world. I'll just get in your way."

'So he's blaming himself for us ending up in a different timeline than what we wanted. Seems like he knows something about how it happened.' he thought. "So you won't help me then. Some friend you are." He hoped those words were enough to rile him up. But he was proved wrong. Naruto didn't even spare a glance towards him.

* * *

The Hokage was right outside the door, his hand on the handle, his foot ready to step inside the moment he was ready. But he was hesitant of his decision. This is only the second time that he ever doubted his judgement. The first time was when he made his first decision as the Hokage.

"Are you sure it's wise, Lord Hokage?" Sakumo asked who stood behind Hiruzen.

"I'm not sure Sakumo. But I'm guessing you too noticed his choice of words like I did. He kept saying 'the village' and 'the Hokage' instead of 'your village' and 'your Hokage'. Didn't you?" Sarutobi questioned back.

"Indeed." the white-haired Jonin replied.

"If he belonged to the any of other hidden villages, he wouldn't have that choice of words. That made me curious about him."

"But he could be have been trained for this mission especially. And if our assumptions are true, he is capable of destroying the village along with the blond-haired fellow."

"We found them in a near death situation Sakumo. It's a miracle that they stayed alive. If they were trained for this purpose, we wouldn't have found them like that. And I'll be blunt about it. They're stronger than I was in my prime."

That shook Sakumo to the core. The very thought of not one but two Shinobi who are stronger than the most powerful Kage of all was a radical one. He never would've imagined something like this even in his wildest dreams.

"And if two people of such calibre ended up in such state, Imagine how strong one must be to make them like that. I sense something big is going on out there Sakumo. Something ominous. And this is the only way we can hope to protect our village should someone like him or her target us." With that Hiruzen opened the door and entered the room leaving a mentally gaping Sakumo Hatake to himself.

Before Sasuke could lash out the ignoring Naruto, the door flung open revealing Hiruzen. Even Naruto glanced towards the Hokage before returning his attention back to the now fading spot.

"Alright. Place the privacy seal." Hiruzen ordered.

"Naruto." Sasuke called out. As if it was his cue, Naruto went through a set hand of hand signs. When he was done, the walls of the room glowed a dull orange before returning back to normal.

"Now I'm gonna seal off your chakra." Hiruzen said he walked towards the Naruto who took his seat. Sasuke's chakra was sealed off in the hospital itself before he was escorted here. Naruto gave no response to let the Hokage finish applying the seal with ease. When he was done, he walked around the table and took a seat on the opposite side of the table facing both Naruto and Sasuke.

"Before you start asking questions, I would like you to hear what we have to say first. I'm sure all your questions will change after that." Sasuke spoke as he saw Hiruzen open his mouth. The monkey summoner just nodded in agreement.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha and this is Naruto Uzumaki. We're both from the future."

Naruto turned to face Sasuke. He didn't understand what Sasuke was trying to achieve here by telling the truth. ' He doesn't think they'll believe it, does he?' he thought.

"The future, you say?" Sarutobi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. I know it sounds a little crazy but-"

"A little? Little would be an understatement. I don't have time to talk about fairy tales, young man." Hiruzen shot back, barely restraining his anger. ' Does he take me for an idiot?' he thought.

"I would've said the same thing a year ago. But a lot has changed since then."

The Hokage let out an exasperated sigh."Look, your chakra is sealed off. So you're not a threat to the village right now. Unless you tell the truth, you won't be seeing sunlight ever again. I'll make sure of that." he said and started to get up and leave.

"Hokage, if you won't listen to us, the village will burn to the ground." Sasuke said with a slightly raised voice. That stopped the Hokage in his tracks.

"Is that a threat?" Sarutobi asked turning on his heel with narrowed eyes.

"Not in the slightest. But it's the truth. Not now. And definitely not by our hands. But it will burn. We are the proof of that. We come from an age where there is a different description to the word strength. An age where people came from other worlds and destroyed nations with a single blow."

Sarutobi looked into the eyes of Sasuke to find a hint of deceit. But he found none. But he wasn't convinced in the slightest that what Sasuke was saying is true. He found no reason to believe it.

"How did you think that I'd even consider believing what you say is true?"

"Honestly, I didn't. I knew you wouldn't believe me. But I have no other way to convince you either." Sasuke confessed.

Hiruzen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "What if there is a way to convince me?" he asked.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the question. The Hokage took that his cue to explain himself. "The Yamanaka clan members have a jutsu called the Psycho mind transmission technique where the caster can access your memories. He along with me will enter your Psyche and go through your memories. If I find what you are saying is true, then I'll believe you."

"Unless you can enter our minds and access our memories alone, I wouldn't advise that. Those memories will only induce horror and panic. The only reason I'm willing even you to access our memories because we have no other choice."

"That's not possible. It's a Yamanaka clan's secret technique. I'm unable to perform even if I wanted to."

"Then I refuse." Sasuke stated flatly.

"I don't understand one thing. What is your problem if someone other than me knows the truth?" Sarutobi questioned. He was genuinely curious now.

"Because no one can stand knowing that everything they hold dear will perish one day. No one can bear the pain of seeing their loved ones die right in front of their eyes. It leaves you scarred and those scars burn until you die." Naruto spoke for the first time. His eyes were shining brightly, the reflection caused by the tears that were on the verge of falling.

Sasuke looked at him with empathy while Sarutobi looked at with pity. The Hokage could understand the pain behind those words. He understood something horrible must've happened to him in the past.

"If what you both are saying is true, then I thank you for your concern of the people. But as the Hokage, I have to make sure of the village's safety and welfare. Unless you both prove yourselves that you're not a threat and what you say is true, I'm sorry but I can't help you or trust you."

'I'm gonna regret doing this.' Sasuke thought as he sighed. "Forgive me for what I'm about to do, third Hokage." he said. He closed his right eye and opened it a second a later revealing his Choku tomoe Mangekyou Sharingan. " **Tsukuyomi**."

And before Hiruzen could react, the world around him started to change into an inverted grey scale style. He was no more present in the Interrogation cell but an open space with blood red background.

"What is happening?" drawled the Hokage, looking around in awe and trepidation.

"You're now in the world of Tsukuyomi. It's a genjutsu where the caster can alter the perception of time. You wanted to see my memories. This is the only that I can show them to you."

Hiruzen recognized it was Sasuke's voice. But he heard it all over the place and not from one point.' A genjutsu? But how? His chakra was sealed off.' he thought. Before he could think any further, the world around him started to change once again. With that, Sarutobi's journey into Sasuke's memories started.

It started with Chunin exams, followed by the sound and Akatsuki's invasion, his fight with Naruto at the valley of end for the first time, his training under Orochimaru and then killing him, his fight with Itachi, how he learned the truth about Uchiha massacre, how he attacked the five kage summit, how he killed Danzo, gaining the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, his fight against Kabuto with reanimated Itachi, his meeting with the Reanimated Hokages, him fighting the ten tails, Obito and Madara alongside Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi, his meeting with the Sage of Six Paths, facing Kaguya and sealing her away, fighting Naruto at the valley of the end again, losing his arm and finally becoming friends with Naruto, how he found the Scroll left by Hagoromo, Kagunshiki Otsutsuki's attack on the village and how they literally ended in the past.

Hiruzen didn't just watch these memories. He felt them. He experienced them. He could feel and understand the emotions that Sasuke felt in these memories. He could hear Sasuke's thoughts. He didn't understand how this was possible but somehow, it was.

When those memories stopped playing, the world around him returned back to inverted grey scale with red backdrop before he came out of the genjutsu. He immediately fell to knees but was caught by Sasuke before he touched the ground. He soon passed out from the mental exhaustion.

"Naruto! Come here and heal him." Sasuke almost ordered the blond. Naruto lazily stood up from his chair and walked over towards where Sasuke and Hiruzen were. His pushed Kurama's chakra into the chakra suppression seal, effectively overloading it and disabling.

Naruto put a hand on the Hokage's forehead before his palm his started to glow a bright green. He moved his palm around the victim's forehead for a while before retracting them. He laid his palms on the Hiruzen's back and recovered his lost chakra.

"He should be fine in a few moments." Naruto said as he finished up healing Hiruzen.

"Your chakra was different from Sakura's. It was brighter than usual." Sasuke said while carrying the Hokage and placing him on his chair.

"When Chakra is blue in colour, it indicates that it is the raw form of chakra. Chakra starts to turn greener as it gets refined." Naruto replied.

"So you mean to say that you're better than Tsunade and Sakura in medical ninjutsu?"

"No. I don't have as much knowledge as they do. But I can perform things I know more effectively."

"And you say you'll be a burden rather than a help. I see you're not that effective with lies." Sasuke took a jab, hoping he could get something out of the blond. But before the blond could react, Hiruzen groaned and started to open his eyes.

"What ... happened?" he groaned while trying to adjust his eyes to the light.

"Sorry I had to do that. But I had no other choice to make you believe us." Sasuke said, rather unapologetically.

It took a while for Hiruzen to regain his composure, but he eventually came back to usual self within no time. He, in fact, felt better than he ever did. That was pretty weird considered he just fell prey to a genjutsu and spend almost 3 days going through someone else's memories. Then it struck him.

"How come no one came inside and release me from the genjutsu?" he asked. His mind started racing through the worst possible scenarios.

"Because you barely spent a second in the genjutsu." Sasuke replied.

"A second?" Hiruzen said with a shocked look.

"Yes. Tsukuyomi is genjutsu where I control everything in there. I can even alter how time works in there. The time you spent going through all those memories in that world is only a second in the real world." Sasuke explained.

"But how? I've never heard of such a complex genjutsu ever before. Where did you learn that?"

"It's my visual prowess." Sasuke said activating his Mangekyou. Sarutobi remembered Sasuke possessing the EMS from the memories.

"I have one last question." The Hokage said. When he received an approving nod, he continued. "What's the proof that those memories were true? You said you can manipulate everything including time in that genjutsu world of yours. It shouldn't be a problem for you to create fake memories either." Sarutobi knew what he saw were indeed real memories. No one could fake emotions that well, no matter how exceptional they were at the art of deception. But he had to ask. The fate of the village rested on his decision. He can't afford not to be a 100% sure about this.

Sasuke sighed. He understood where Hiruzen was coming from and he respected him for that. But he needs to prove that they weren't fake. That really was a tough challenge until something struck him.

"I'm assuming you watched how I reanimated you and the other Hokages, breaking the reaper death seal. Right?" The Hokage just nodded his head." Do you think anyone can fake something that they absolutely have no idea about? I couldn't possibly know your relationship with the previous Hokages in detail, can I?"

Sarutobi caught onto what Sasuke was trying to imply. And needless to say, it was true. Sarutobi could see his reasoning. And now, he had all the evidence he needed to trust the two in front of him. All his lingering doubts now fading away.

"So... what is it then Hokage? I've shown everything you asked for. Do you trust us now?" Sasuke asked. He wasn't pleading but Sarutobi caught onto the desperation within that. Even Naruto who remained silent all this time was staring intently towards him, waiting for his reply.

Hiruzen closed his eyes and started to think. He kept doing that for a good five minutes. He could sense the impatience growing inside the both in front of him. He finally reached his decision and opened his eyes. "I do. I believe what you say is true. You won't be treated as a threat to this village either. As a matter of fact, I'm instating you both as the Shinobi of Konoha from this point onwards."

* * *

 **A/N: That's the second chapter of this story for you. If you have any doubts, leave a review or PM me.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey there readers. I know I'm a little late with this update. But I had some work which kept me away from my computer. So here it is. And one more thing before we jump into the story. Thanks for the reviews, favs and follows. This kind of support will only make me write better and put out the best stuff. And a huge thanks to my beta and friend Neel Pavan without whom this story would've been a blubbering mess. And I want to reply to one of the reviews. hagoromo Senju: Sorry I didn't reply to you in the previous chapter. But to answer your question, I can't reveal that now. All I can say is you are close.**

* * *

Being the Hokage is not an easy job. The welfare and responsibility of the whole village lie on your shoulders. People look up to you as their role model. They aspire to become like you. They come to you with their problems hoping you could make them go away. You need to lead the shinobi of the village from the front. You must be kind as well as authoritative, depending upon the situation. You need to be a diplomat to resolve issues with the other villages but shouldn't hesitate to use force if push comes to shove either. And he needed to sit behind a desk from dawn till dusk. And Hiruzen Sarutobi was prepared to be and do everything said above when he took charge as the Third Hokage of Konohagakure. But not for what he just witnessed in his office.

"Let me get this straight. I believed that you two came from the future and offered to help you save the world however you seem fit and you just rejected that." he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. The offer he made yesterday evening after their meeting in the T&I cell was being rejected. He couldn't understand the reason behind it. He was trying to help them. He is, isn't he?

"We appreciate your offer Hokage. But ending up here wasn't part of our plan." The brooding Uchiha said.

"In the past?"

"This far in the past." replied an impatient Naruto. For some reason, he seemed completely restless about their predicament, a complete opposite from yesterday which didn't go unnoticed by the Hokage.

"Oh. How far is that you actually intended?" Hiruzen asked as he released the smoke from the recently lit pipe.

"To the time when the fourth great ninja war was about to start." Naruto answered with the slightest hint of irritation."Look we need to go, alright? So stop wasting our time."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Naruto. But it's my responsibility as the Hokage."

"Oh please. You're just using your position get information out of us." Naruto almost said that accusingly, pointing a finger towards the Hokage. Hiruzen just released another puff of smoke and sighed.

"Look Naruto. I care about the welfare of the village as much as you do. I'm just asking these questions so that I can help you both in any way I can. I lived long enough to know how the world works. I just assumed my experience would come in handy. That's all."

The flat reply made Naruto sigh. He could understand Hiruzen's worry. If someone like himself, who aspired to be Hokage, cared so much about the village, then it's only fair that the actual Hokage have concerns about its future. And Hiruzen was the one who inspired him to become what he is today. He should've expected nothing less from him. He cursed himself internally for lashing out someone who treated him like his own grandson during his childhood.

"I'm sorry, Lord Third. I shouldn't have said such things." the blond apologized, regretting his previous words. His impatience got the better of him. He thought he would never let his emotions take over him but here he was doing the very same thing that sent him downhill.

Sarutobi let a small chuckle which almost made him choke due to the smoke. "It's alright Naruto. So, will you tell me what are your plans at least now?" Naruto's whole demeanour changed when that question came out. Gone was the remorseful look on his face. Hiruzen could clearly sense that Naruto was doing his best to control his anger.

"As you saw in Sasuke's memories, we were attacked by that bastard Kagunshiki out of the blue. He was after the tailed beasts to revive the divine tree. He wanted to turn this world and its people to fodder so that the chakra fruit can be revived. We tried to fight back but he was simply too much for us. The only aspect in which we were lucky was that we expected something like that would happen. We didn't know what but we made some preparations as a last resort. The time travel jutsu. It wasn't actually a time travel jutsu, to begin with. The original jutsu froze time for a specific period of time, depending on the amount of chakra used. I made some adjustments and created the time travel jutsu from that. Our plan was to travel back to the time when the fourth great ninja war happened and stop it so that Kagunshiki won't attack us in the first place. That was the only way we can stop him." Every word Naruto said was laced with hatred and anger. Hatred towards the Otsutsuki and angry because of how helpless he was.

"But how does stopping the fourth great ninja war prevents the future invasion?"

"Because Kagunshiki learned about the existence of our world because of it. He said that he sensed the Chakra of ten tails when it was revived during that war and came to take back what was rightfully his. That damned bastard." Naruto punched the wall beside him, trying let out some of his frustration, successful in forming cracks in it before he continued. "So Shikamaru said that if we prevent the resurrection of the ten tails, he wouldn't even know about our presence."

Hiruzen nodded understanding what they intended to do from the very beginning. He was quite impressed with the plan actually. "I must say, this Shikamaru is quite a genius. I'd expect nothing less from one of the Nara." The Hokage beamed with pride. He was a simpleton in that aspect, being happy at other's success.

"Yeah. He is." Naruto's voice became low at the memory of his most probably dead friend. But he felt it was one more reason why failure is not an option in this mission."So that was our plan. And it's my fault that we ended up here instead of there." he said, his face painted in shame. "And now, we need to travel back into the future and make sure that the ten tails isn't revived."

"Not necessarily." Sasuke said who kept quiet for a while.

"What do you mean by that?" The blond asked calculatingly. He knew something was up when Sasuke looked like how he was now. Calm and collected. The clarity in his mind was practically oozing out of his eyes.

"We don't need to travel back to the fourth great ninja war to prevent the ten tails from reviving. We can do that in this timeline too."

"But how?"

"The cause of the fourth great ninja war was Madara. If we stop him now, there won't be a fourth great ninja war in the first place."

Hiruzen listened to what Sasuke was suggesting and found the explanation reasonable. He was once again impressed with intuition Sasuke displayed. The way Sasuke made him accept the meeting they had was the first time.

Naruto was trying to piece together what Sasuke said. It took a while but he was finally able to grasp what the Uchiha had in mind. A smile appeared on his face but disappeared the next instant.

"Wait, what if Madara is already dead?" he asked his friend.

"If Madara is dead, then we have to stop Obito from joining up with Black Zetsu. But for us to know for sure whether he's dead or not, he must know how far exactly are in the past."

"And how do you suggest that we do that? Kurama said it's around 30 years but he's not sure either."

Sasuke didn't respond to that and thought for a while in silence before turning to face Hiruzen. "If I remember correctly, you called the white-haired man beside you in the hospital Sakumo, isn't it?" The Hokage silently nodded. "Is his full name Sakumo Hatake?"

'Hatake? Like Kakashi sensei's last name?' Naruto thought.

"Indeed. But how do you-" Hiruzen stopped mid-sentence remembering who Sasuke's Jonin sensei was from the latter's memories. "Your sensei was Sakumo's kid." 'Or is it will be? This whole time-travel stuff is confusing.' he thought.

"So... is he born yet?"

"Yes. A year ago. Sakumo's wife died during the childbirth, unfortunately."

"A year huh? Kakashi sensei was 34 when we were attacked. So that means..."

"We are 33 years into the past." Sasuke completed Naruto's sentence. "And if Kakashi is a year old, then so is Obito. Which means..."

"Madara is still alive." This time, Naruto completed Sasuke's sentence.

Hiruzen who found their conversation highly amusing and smiled at how two completely different people can understand each other so much."So I'm assuming that you'd want to reconsider my offer then?" he asked. If they decide to stay and prevent an apocalypse then he'd do his best to help them in any way he can.

"Thanks for the help, Lord Hokage." Naruto said sincerely while Sasuke nodded with the faintest hint of a rare smile, his appreciation for the help.

"That is good to hear. I have another appointment now. Why don't you both meet me tomorrow morning? We will finalize your rank and other details. I'll make sure to find you a more permanent place to stay until you finish your mission. Those Inn's sure do charge a lot."

"Thank you, Third Hokage." Sasuke bowed with respect for all the help the Sarutobi was doing for them.

"It's alright Sasuke. It's the least I can do for you both."

Naruto left the room immediately without even sparing a look towards Sasuke. Sasuke just shook his head and started towards the door.

"Sasuke, spare me a minute, will you?" The said person stopped in his tracks, holding the door handle when he heard the Sarutobi ask that question. Taking this as his cue to continue, "Naruto seemed a lot different from how he was in your memories. From what I learned from yesterday, he had a rough childhood but he always seemed bright and optimistic. But it's the complete opposite now. Did something happen?" he asked, genuinely curious over the sudden change in the blond's behaviour and attitude. Sasuke just turned around to face the Hokage.

 **Flashback**

 _After convincing Hiruzen that they both indeed came from the future, Naruto and Sasuke were let off the hook. The charges of infiltration were overturned by the Hokage himself, personally vouching for them both. They were escorted to an Inn in the southern district of the village where the hot springs are located. It was late in the evening by the time they settled in their room. Naruto was sitting on the floor of the room while Sasuke was standing on the balcony connected to the room, staring at the twilight sky._

 _"Be prepared to leave any minute tomorrow. The moment we have cleared off all the doubts, we leave this place." Sasuke made his intentions clear._

 _"Leave to where?" Naruto asked half-mindedly._

 _"To where we actually need to go. Our job is far from over."_

 _Naruto didn't reply for a minute. He took his time picking his words. "Our job will never be over. As long as I'm with you, you won't succeed in saving this world, Sasuke. I'll just get in your way and screw things up. It's better if you do this alone."_

 _Sasuke snapped. He had enough of this self-pittance crap. This was no time to go be an emo sucker. They two are the only people who can save this world and one of them decided to drown and wallow in sorrow. He walked into the room, lifted Naruto up by the collar and slammed him against the wall with a thud._

 _"Why the hell are you talking like this, dobe? Snap out of it. I need you." he muttered in annoyance._

 _"You don't. You're better off alone." Naruto replied, not meeting Sasuke's eyes. He was staring at the floor in shame. Shame in abandoning his friend while he was asking for help. But it felt like the right thing to do. He couldn't bring himself to trust his actions any more. Especially after realising that he was the reason that they ended up in a different timeline. How could he let his emotions get the better off him at a time like that?_

 _"And what about the promise you made me at the valley of the end? You said you'd always help me, even if I didn't ask." Sasuke's anger was barely controlled. It was clear in his voice, though he kept it low._

 _"I'm sorry."_

 _"You're sorry?" Sasuke asked incredulously. He couldn't believe Naruto was really giving up. Until now, he thought that the blond was just doubting himself and playing emo. Normally, he would've left Naruto to himself as time would heal those wounds and bring back the normal self. But because he had no time, he had to do something to wake up the whiskered idiot and bring him back to his senses. But he never thought Naruto would give up. Especially on this matter._

 _"So you're giving up on everything? The village, the people, your friends? Hinata too?"_

 _"No. I'm not giving up hope. But I...I just can't act now. I'm afraid that I'll screw up again. We are lucky we have another chance now. But what if we don't have another the next time? I may lose everything and everyone I love forever. Including Hinata. I don't want that to happen. That's why I'm trusting you to complete this task. You're more than capable of finishing this." Naruto said while trying his best not to break in front of Sasuke._

 _Sasuke let go of Naruto. He walked to opposite end of the room and leaned against it facing the blond. He let out a humourless chuckle which earned him the blond's attention. " It's a good thing Hinata isn't alive to see you betray her. She died believing that you'll bring everything back to normal. Believing you actually loved her." A sly smile still present on his face._

 _It struck a nerve with Naruto. He would agree if someone called him a coward. He would agree if someone would berate him for breaking a promise. He would take on the hatred of everyone in the world if need be but, he wouldn't just stand by if someone doubted his love for his wife. Not even if that someone was a friend who'd give his life for._

 _"Take that back Sasuke. Take that back this instant or you'll regret it." Naruto said. His fists tightened, jaw clenched and teeth ground in pure anger._

 _Sasuke smirked internally. His plan was working. he knew what he said was wrong but if playing dirty is what it takes to knock some sense into the blond, then he had no qualms doing that. Sasuke continued as if he didn't hear Naruto's words. "I mean, imagine her situation if she found out that someone she admired and loved from her childhood betrayed her trust. She would suffer. Suffer just like I did when I was a kid and didn't know the truth about Itachi. Death is better when compared to something like that. She was lucky in that aspect."_

 _"How dare you, you bastard." Naruto snapped. He was onto Sasuke in an instant and threw a solid punch towards the face. His fist connected with the Uchiha's jaw, sending him out of the room through the wooden walls._

 _Sasuke flew for a couple of seconds and landed on his back. He knew this was about to get ugly very soon and if they don't leave this place soon, Tsunade's accusation of them destroying the village might very well become true._

 _Naruto was instantly on top of him and started punching Sasuke's face. "You...have...no...right...to...talk...about...HINATA!" he shouted between his punches. His eyes red with dark slits, a look of fury on his face._

 _Sasuke blocked the next punch his hand and opened a portal to another dimension using his Rinnegan. He immediately took hold of Naruto and disappeared into the dimension, a move that made sure the safety of the village wasn't compromised. He reopened the portal when he was sure they were far enough from the village. It looked like a small clearing in the middle of a dense forest._

 _They both landed on the ground with Sasuke on top of Naruto. Sasuke didn't hold back this time. He too began to throw his own share of punches to the blond's face. "I... have...every...right...to...do...so. Because...unlike you...I...didn't ... give up...on...Sakura." He then lifted Naruto up with and kicked him in the gut with his knee._

 _The wind got knocked out of Naruto's lungs when the knee landed in his gut. He fell to the ground on his knees holding his gut in pain. He looked up to see Sasuke standing tall in front of him. The next thing he knew, he was sent flying away into a nearby tree, courtesy of Sasuke's kick to his face. The tree's bark shattered due to the impact. His face was sore and his back felt like he might have broken his backbone. But he wasn't giving up._

 _With a burst of speed, he launched himself towards the dark haired Uchiha and spearing him through three or four trees before coming to halt. He opened his eyes to realise Sasuke activated his Susanoo._

 _Sasuke was covered by a purple ribcage, the first stage of his Susanoo. His eyes morphed into an all too familiar black and red kaleidoscopic star pattern. He caught Naruto with the skeletal arm in one swift swoop._

 _Naruto immediately entered his KCM( Kurama Chakra Mode). He simply overpowered the Susanoo's hold over him with brute strength and freed himself. He produced a Chakra arm and caught the Susanoo and flung it away._

 _Sasuke crashed into the trees, effectively clearing a small patch of the woods along his path. His Susanoo was deactivated. He didn't bother reactivating it when he saw Naruto heading towards him at full force. He decided to put an end to this squabble for good._

 _Naruto at full speed landed a clean punch to Sasuke's jaw, an uppercut this time. Sasuke was knocked out clean and realised he was losing consciousness. He couldn't afford to be out cold now. So he fought it. He fought against his body to stay awake. At least until he finished what he wanted. He landed on the ground with a thud. He just lay there, not moving an inch like a dead body. Naruto released the KCM and jumped on top of him with his fist cocked back and ready to punch Sasuke into oblivion._

 _Sasuke closed his eyes and waited for Naruto to hit him. He would take it. He crossed his line by taking about Hinata in front of Naruto and knew it was wrong. So he would accept whatever punishment Naruto decided to dish out. And if its just punches, he would gladly accept it. So he kept waiting, all the while struggling to stay awake._

 _But the punch never came. He slowly opened his eyes to see Naruto in the same position as before, ready to punch. But the change was in his eyes. Tears were flowing down his cheeks freely. But he wasn't crying. They weren't tears of sorrow or grief. No. They were tears of Shame, anger, regret. So he kept quiet. He realised Naruto needed to flush these feelings out of him. Only then can the 'real' Naruto emerge._

 _"Why? Why Sasuke? Why did you have to say such things?"_

 _Sasuke smiled."Heal me up loser. Or I won't last much longer. I don't have a tailed beast inside me to heal my injuries." he said as he coughed up blood._

 _Naruto did as told. He soon got onto healing Sasuke and realised he did a fine job in messing up the Uchiha's anatomy. Sasuke had a dislocated jaw, three broken vertebrae and a massive internal bleeding. It took Sasuke almost an hour to return to a functional state. He was by no means alright but he would settle for now._

 _Sasuke sat against a tree with Naruto across him. He took a deep breath before talking. "Tell me Naruto. Why are you forsaking yourself? Why are trying so hard to walk the down path that I once took?"_

 _Naruto took his time to respond. He still wasn't able to meet the Uchiha's gaze. "You don't understand, Sasuke."_

 _"I understand better than anyone can. I know how much it hurt to see the people you love die right in front you. You know that I do." Sasuke retorted back._

 _"It's not that. Don't get me wrong Sasuke. I'm not saying my pain is greater than yours. It's...it's just different."_

 _"Different how?"_

 _His question was returned with silence. The only sound heard was that of the blowing wind and rustling leaves. He waited as Naruto's shoulders went rigid taking a deep breath._

 _"Hinata's wasn't the only one who died that night. She wasn't alone."_

 _'What does he mean? Is he referring to Sakura and the others?' Sasuke thought but didn't voice his doubts. He would let the blond say whatever is in his mind._

 _"Hinata was pregnant. She was gonna be a mother and I was gonne be a father." Naruto smiled when he said that. A genuine smile which reached his eyes and restored the life which was missing in it for the past few days._

 _That shocked Sasuke, but he did well not show it. His face as stoic as ever. A trait he mastered from his academy days itself. But he didn't miss the spark that returned to Naruto's eyes. 'His eyes. They are so... hopeful.' he thought._

 _"We were gonna be family. A real family, Sasuke." the blond, meeting Sasuke's gaze for the first time since they landed in the past. His eyes were bluer than ever. A sign of how happy he was of that thought."Ever since I was a little kid, all I ever wanted was to know about my parents. To know how it feels to be a part of a family. But that didn't happen. And when Hinata broke the news, I couldn't express how happy I was. I was finally gonna be part a family. Something I never had as a child. I decided that I'd be the best father ever. I will never leave my child's side. I spent that whole day thinking about how I will love the child with every ounce of my spirit. That child was my hope. My hope for a brighter future. Something that will erase the dark and lonely past I had."_

 _But the life in his eyes left as fast as it came. His face fell, the smile erased. "But when that ash bone struck Hinata in her stomach, everything was gone. When Hinata's body crumbled and turned into ash, so did my hopes for the future. I felt like there was no hope for me no matter what my age. I felt like I was 3 years old all over again. All alone."_

 _Silence reigned the forest for a while. Not even the sounds of any birds or animals could be heard. Even the air stopped blowing to prevent the leaves from rustling. Naruto kept staring at the ground before while Sasuke looked up the sky. A small star twinkled._

 _Sasuke rose up from his place and started to walk away. He stopped after taking a few steps. Without turning back, he started talking. "Hey. I don't know who you are, but do me a favour. If you see a blond idiot named Naruto Uzumaki, tell him to meet me. He has three whisker-like marks on his cheeks, keeps grinning like a total loser and yells he's gonna be the Hokage. But his most important trait is that he never goes back on his word. Tell him I'll be in an Inn near the hot springs in the hidden leaf village. I'm sure his kid would feel proud knowing that his/her father saved the world not once but twice." he said and started to resume his walking before stopping once again._

 _"And one more thing. Hope doesn't die until you kill it yourself. Hope will continue to remain as long as you strive to protect it." And with that Sasuke left the place leaving behind an astounded Naruto._

 _Sasuke woke up the next day in his hotel room to find he was the only occupant. 'So he didn't change his mind. Very well then. I'll do it alone if I have to. I can't waste any more time consoling that loser.' he thought. He freshened up a bit and got ready to leave. He then came down the stairs to the lobby of the Inn to check out of it. 'I'll leave with or without him. Consequences be damned.' he internally cursed. As he handed the keys over and started to turn around to leave, he was greeted by the sight of Naruto leaning with his back against the wall, his arms crossed and an impassive look on his face._

 _"What are you doing here?" Sasuke got down to business immediately. His voice was cold as ever. He made up his mind. He was going to do what he needed to do with or without Naruto's help._

 _"I wanted to talk to you." Naruto's reply didn't carry a speck of emotion. It was as flat as anything could ever be. His eyes didn't betray his voice either. The normally bright cerulean eyes looked icy blue._

 _"I don't have any time to waste. You may have given up but I-"_

 _"I've decided to help you."_

 _Sasuke didn't expect that. When he woke up to find his room empty, he had given up on Naruto. But it seemed fate did have a twisted sense of humour. Normally, he would've been happy to have his friend back. But the way Naruto looked and sounded wasn't helping him. It felt like he was staring at his 16-year-old self. The same dead eyes and steel voice he had wasn't a good sign._

 **Flashback End**

"He did have a rough childhood. He was all by himself for more than half his life. And he had to struggle to form bonds with people. He lost his loved ones before too but he always had someone else to bring him back up. But he lost everything now." Sasuke replied.

"So did you. Didn't you?"

"I'm used to it." Sasuke said with a melancholic smile before walking out of the Hokage's office leaving Hiruzen to his thoughts.

* * *

"This feeling...It's undeniable. This is real." he said flexing his fingers. He couldn't believe what just happened. He probably wouldn't if he hadn't seen with his own eyes. "I feel like I'm in my prime again."

"Of course you will. Because you really are back in your prime."

He didn't pay any attention to the newcomer's words. He was still in a daze over the changes in his body. He punched the air a few times, testing his arm movement.

"Your movements seem a little rusty, Madara." White Zetsu said who standing in a corner of the cave.

"You are right, Zetsu. But nothing that a good dancing session can't correct." Madara said as he broke the chakra supply pipe between him and the Gedo Statue. He then faced the newcomer with suspicion. "Why are you doing this?"

"As I told you before, our goals just coincided. I didn't do it because I like you or anything. I'd expect you to succeed in this project in return for the favour I did."

"I couldn't care less about your opinion of me. But if your goal is Infinite Tsukuyomi, then why not do it yourself? Clearly," he motioned his hands as if he's showcasing himself, " you are more than capable of doing it."

"Hmmm. I already did this before and doing it a second time is too much of a work for my liking. And it's too boring with you humans interfering in every step."

Madara smirked in response. But he was wary of the person in front of him. He may be a prideful person but he's not stupid. He knew the guy in front of him was strong. He never even imagined that someone as powerful as this could exist. Except for Hagoromo Otsutsuki. But strength isn't everything. Someway or the other, he would be the one to come out on the top this time.

"Don't underestimate us humans. You may be powerful than us for the time being. But history has proved that we overcame bigger odds than this before." Madara's voice had a wave of confidence. He wouldn't falter even if his opponent was some Otsutsuki.

"Just don't fail. I'd hate to see my work being wasted." Kagunshiki said as he opened a portal to leave the cave. 'Oh, and one more thing. There are two other humans from the future who are as strong if not stronger than you who's aim is to prevent what you are planning. Good luck.' he thought with a sly smile and disappeared.

"Do you think we can trust him, Madara?" White Zetsu asked completely oblivious to the tension that was present in the cave a few seconds ago.

"Trust? Of course not. But he is a resourceful person. So I'll play along for the time being. And once I have my hands on all the tailed beasts, then no one can stop me. It's time for the world to witness the rise of Madara Uchiha." he said, his Rinnegan coming to life.

* * *

"Report."

"Sir. After they settled in the Inn, they both fought each other for a moment before disappearing from the village without a trace. The black haired person returned back after a few hours in the middle of the night. The blond guy returned just before the break of dawn. Then they met with the Hokage in the office sir. They had privacy seals intact just like the last time. After the meeting, they left the office and just roamed around the village. They are scheduled to meet the Hokage again in the evening."

'That Hiruzen. He didn't even bother to keep an eye on them. Always trusting people so easily. Looks like I have to get involved directly.' he thought. "Keep watching them until I order otherwise. Report immediately if anything significant happens. Dismissed."

"Yes, Lord Danzo." came the quick reply before the ANBU vanished.

'What are you planning to do with them, Hiruzen?' Danzo thought as he proceeded to make his way out of the foundation headquarters.

* * *

"What are you planning to do with us, old man?" Naruto asked impatiently. He was fed up with all these meetings.

"You know Naruto, I'm not that old. I'm still in my early 40's." Hiruzen stated as he released the smoke from his pipe.

Naruto just stared back at the Hokage impassively like he didn't care. Sasuke just stood in a corner, leaning against a wall looking with a bored look. He wanted to wrap things up here as soon as possible and set out to find a fellow Uchiha.

"Well, after giving it a lot of thought and keeping in mind your personalities, I've decided on what rank shall be assigned to you both. Sasuke, I want you to be an ANBU member directly under my command. You won't have to answer to anyone else except me. You'll be given full freedom to do whatever you seem fit." Sasuke just nodded in approval of the Hokage's decision.

"And Naruto, I'm appointing you as Jonin."

"And why is that?" Naruto was quick to react. He didn't understand what the Sarutobi was trying to do but he was sensing something was going on. Something which he didn't like.

"Because I want you to be Jonin Sensei for a team of genin." Hiruzen replied.

"I'm not gonna babysit some brats." Naruto seethed. "I'm here for a purpose. Not to run around the village and watch over genin do errands."

"I can understand that you are disappointed Naruto. But I'm helping you both going out of my way here. Call me selfish but I'd like the favour returned. You are a very strong shinobi who can help the future generations become better." Hiruzen tried to sound as serious as possible, all the while controlling his laughter inside.

Naruto glared back at the Hokage. He knew the Hokage was just playing and it annoyed him. But he nodded in agreement nonetheless. He did feel like he owed the Hokage for the help and it wasn't like he was sticking around forever in this timeline. Once their work is done, he would leave, pronto. And before the Hokage could continue speaking, he noticed his door opening. He wondered who it might be who dared to interrupt him after he expressly denied any intrusions. And before he could guess, Danzo appeared.

As soon as Danzo entered the office, he felt a wave of Killing Intent directed towards him from Naruto and Sasuke. Especially from the latter which didn't go unnoticed by him. Even the old Sarutobi frowned at Danzo's arrival.

"What are you doing here, Danzo?" The Hokage got straight to the point. Something that never happened before between the both of them.

"I'm just curious about these two intruders." Danzo said while facing Naruto and Sasuke. He was trying to get a good read on both of them.

"They are no intruders. They are Shinobi of the leaf."

"Since when? It's certainly the first time I'm seeing them in the village."

"Since they were infants." Hiruzen's voice boomed in the office. Even Naruto and Sasuke were a little surprised at the authority he was displaying. But Danzo's situation was a different story altogether. He never saw Hiruzen talk such harshly to him in his entire life. It was like seeing someone else entirely. He was actually tensed for the first time in many years but he did well not to show it.

"Care to explain?"

"Look, Danzo. I don't interfere with how you run the foundation. So you have no right to question my decisions here."

"I don't care how you manage your shinobi, Hiruzen. I'm just worried about where their loyalty lies. My concerns are over the safety of the village. They didn't grow up in the village so you can't blame me for being suspicious."

"Our loyalty lies with the Hokage and the village. No one else." Sasuke seethed making his intentions clear. Naruto too walked up to Sasuke and stood beside him as if to prove that his response was the same.

"The Hokage, you say? Then can you tell me how you know them, Hiruzen?"

"I found them both as war orphans of the first great ninja war. I took them in and personally monitored their upbringing and training. They may have grown up outside the village but they are as loyal as anyone can be towards this village. Do you have any more questions?" The irritation in the Hokage's voice was clear.

"I see. Looks like my concerns were over nothing. I will take my leave then." Danzo said. But he didn't trust one word of what his former teammate was saying. He had no proof to deny that either. And his foundation operations were crucial now. If Hiruzen suddenly decided to grow a backbone and started to sniff around, then all his plannings and actions would have been for nought. Naruto and Sasuke didn't seem like they were worth the risk. So he just left without another word.

Hiruzen sighed when the door was closed. He released the breath which he didn't know he was holding. Even Naruto and Sasuke seemed to relax a bit after the war hawk's departure.

"I hate that shady bastard." Naruto didn't hold back from expressing himself. Sasuke just Hmm'd in agreement before speaking. "Hokage, I don't think Danzo bought your story."

"I know. But he has no proof to say otherwise."

"But he'll be a problem in the future. And I won't hold back against him if he tries to interfere in this problem. I suggest you take some action against him before it comes to that." Sasuke's words carried a wave of pure hatred. He would never forgive Danzo for what he did and killing him any number of times will do nothing to lessen his hatred.

"Unfortunately, I can't. I know his methods are shady but I have no proof of them. And I can't disband it without a proper cause, considering the results his unit has given."

"Are results the only thing you care about?" Naruto asked, his voice colder than ever. He didn't expect Hiruzen would cave in so easily.

"It's not like that, Naruto. I need the council's approval too. And they need proof. Politics can be a real pain in the ass sometimes."

"And what if I find you the proof?" Sasuke asked." Will you take action then?"

Hiruzen was silent for a second. He had to make up his mind.'I have no other choice. I can't let things turn out like in Sasuke's memories.' And so he decided. "Bring me a solid proof that his doings aren't according to the village's law and I will disband his organization with immediate effect. I can even override the council's decision if I can back my accusations."

"Consider it done." Sasuke said with a smirk. He was gonna enjoy destroying Danzo. Again.

"Can we leave now?" The blond's patience wearing out. He had too many unpleasant conversations for his liking and all he wanted to do now was leave this office.

"There's one last thing Naruto. Here," Hiruzen said handing a paper to the said person." This is the list containing the details of your genin team. You'll meet them tomorrow morning in the academy."

Naruto begrudgingly started to look at the list. He eyes froze when he read the first name in the list. It took him a while before he continued to go through the other members before handing it back to Hiruzen.

"Seriously?" He looked annoyed as hell. He would've killed the man in front of him if he wasn't the Hokage or the man who was trying to help them.

Sasuke, who watched this exchanged was amused, to say the least. He wondered what made the blond looked so pissed off. He walked up to the desk and took the sheet into hands. A smile graced his face when he read through the names. 'Well played, Hokage. Well played.' he thought.

* * *

 **A/N: Just a note. Some might think Naruto is acting all emo but he's not. He's just going through a phase just like the time when Jiraiya died. And you guys have any other doubts, just leave a review or PM me. I'll be happy to clear them. And the next update shouldn't take long. So watch out for it. Ja ne.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: How are you doing my awesome readers? I'm back again with the latest chapter as I promised last time. Didn't take long, did I? Well this chapter was rather easy to right. And as for the response I got for the previous chapter? It was too good. Hagoromo Senju- You're guessing game is too strong. But that only made my resolve to make this story less predictable even stronger. As for pairings, I'm sticking with Canonical ones. Hinata and Sakura may not be physically present but they do influence Naruto and Sasuke. You'll understand as the story progresses. And as for the guest who thought I was a retard, thank you for mentioning that point. I made sure to rectify that error. Like I said, negative reviews will only help me make this better. Enough rant.**

* * *

The Academy. The place where the next generation of Shinobi are made. The place where children learn the ways of a ninja. A place where more than half of the kids in any hidden village begin their journey towards greatness. Well, not everyone will reach their goal. Most of them die before their hair starts to turn grey. Such was the reality of this world. But that didn't stop the younglings from joining the academy in huge numbers every year. Well, at least trying to get admitted. More than 65-70% of the kids who give academy trials fail to get through. That leaves around 30% of the aspirants left to progress themselves from just being an aspirant to a full-fledged ninja provided they pass the graduation exam which most of them do except for a few unfortunate( debatable) kids.

And right now, a classroom in the very academy filled with fresh graduates is buzzing with excitement. Kids were talking to each other about how awesome they are going to be once they get into the field or how they're gonna learn many powerful jutsus and kick the enemy's ass. Everyone's eyes present in the room gleamed with excitement except for one red headed girl named Kushina Uzumaki.

Kushina Uzumaki wasn't your typical 11-year-old girl. She didn't excel in studies and stood below par in physical combat like the other girls in her class. Quite the opposite actually. She sucked at studies and excelled in hand to hand combat if you can call it a combat. It was mostly her manhandling every other boy in her class and wiping the floor with them. Her ninjutsu wasn't something to brag about either while her skill in handling weapons was the bare minimum. She graduated at the bottom of her class but she had a fire in her. A fire to achieve greatness and prove others wrong. And she had the potential to match her ambition, though barely scratched. And she most certainly didn't fawn over a certain rookie of the year like the rest of the girls. Oh no. She despised him. But in a very unconventional way. As a matter of fact, she was staring at him right now, eyes narrowed and fists tightened from the last bench in the classroom.

And he was completely oblivious to the glare he was receiving. Minato Namikaze has always been like that. Oblivious to certain emotions. But ironically, he was a very perceptive fellow. He graduated at the top of his class, excelling at almost everything. His grades were something that no one in the academy's history was able to achieve. He was a prodigy, a genius in the making, a once in a generation talent. Nothing like Kushina Uzumaki. Except for he too had the same dream as her. But he never let any of the praise to his head. He was always smiling and respected everyone, even his peers.

The excited murmurs started to fade when the academy instructor walked in with a bunch of papers. The murmurs faded but not their excitement. It grew even more as they realised what the bunch of papers were. This was the moment they waited for the past few days restlessly.

"Alright everyone. If you're present in this room, then it means you've all graduated from the academy. You're all ninja of the hidden leaf village now." he said. He wasn't anything special by the looks. He looked like he was in his early twenties. He was of medium height and average build with a fair skin. A proof of lack of fieldwork. "But the road only gets tough from here so don't slack off. Try to improve yourself every day and serve the village to the best of your abilities. I wish you all the very best." he finished his speech to receive a small round of applause from his former students.

A small smile graced his lips. He truly felt happy for the appreciation he was receiving. He never liked being a mere instructor and the only reason he took up this job because he had no other choice. He was declared unfit to do fieldwork on the very first mission as a chunin after 2 years of guard duty. The job of teaching academy students was the only position available for him. So he took. But he never imagined he would actually love his job until this very moment.

"Settle down everyone. I'm going to announce the teams now. So listen carefully. I won't repeat twice." The classroom went dead silent the next moment. Everyone keenly listening to the what their sensei was saying. As he started to announce the teams and their Jonin leaders, students whose names have been called out yelled in excitement. Even the usually strict instructor let it slide for this time.

But that wasn't the case for Kushina. She was getting nervous with every passing second. She thought she was prepared to face every and any challenge that might come across her. And she was. But she was nervous for a completely different reason. 5 teams have been announced till now but her name wasn't called out yet. That wouldn't usually be a concern for her because there were still few sheets left in the instructor's hand. The reason for her worry was the other name that hasn't been called out yet. Her self-made nemesis Minato. She was praying to the god that she wouldn't end up in the same team as him. Her heartbeat increased further when both their names weren't present in the 6th team either.

"Team 7." She heard. She could see the faintest hint of a smile on her sensei's face now. "Minato Namikaze, Hanaku Hyuga and Kushina Uzumaki. Your Jonin sensei is Naruto." Her face grew pale like all the blood had been drained from it when she heard that. What she prayed for not to happen, just happened. She turned her head from the instructor who continued to announce the next team towards the blond haired genius and her new teammate. Her gaze narrowed as she watched him exchange a greeting with her other teammate with the ever-present smile on his face.

Minato extended his hand to Hanaku who was sitting right in front him. He had no qualms with his new team though he was curious who his sensei was. The fact that his sensei's last name wasn't mentioned was noted by him which made him even more curious. He then turned around to look for his third teammate. He gave a genuine and warm smile when he found her. But he winced under the glare he received in response. He just returned his normal position, facing the instructor. He didn't understand why she always glared at him. 'Did I ever do something that might have made her mad at me?' he thought.

"Team 10. Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka and Chouza Akimichi. Your Jonin sensei is Kosuke Morino." The instructor concluded while collecting his papers and rolling them. "Wait here till your appointed Jonin sensei meets you. Farewell." he said and left the room. The murmurs started again and everyone seemed to meet and sit beside their new teammates. Minato didn't move from his place as he chose to sit with Shukaku, Inoichi and Chouza who were his closest friends. But he did engage in conversations with Hanaku now and then.

Hanaku Hyuga was a shy girl. She's always reserved and speaks only when required. Not because she doesn't want to, but because she's just socially awkward. She possessed fair skin and long, dark-purple hair slightly past her waist and side bangs framing her face down to her shoulders. Her forehead was plain, a proof that she was from the main branch of the Hyuga family. She was the Kunoichi of the year excelling in studies and taijutsu. Her ninjutsu wasn't half bad either but there's nothing much to brag about it either, mainly because of the Hyuga's obsession with their Gentle fist style.

And it wasn't long before the Jonins started to enter the classroom and call out their team. And every time a Jonin entered the class, Kushina's hopes would rise up expecting her name. But every time her hopes kept crashing. One by one the, teams started to clear and within 20 minutes, only six members remained in the class. The members of team 7 and team 10.

"Guess we have lazy sensei's." Shikaku drawled who was sitting beside Minato with his hands behind his head. He looked bored. Bored enough to fall asleep any time now.

"Maybe they're just busy. I'm sure they aren't intentionally making us wait."

Shikaku shook his head with a smile. "Always the optimist. Maybe that's why everyone likes you." he said. He had been friends with Minato since the early days of the academy. And though he was used to Minato's behaviour, it still amused him. Minato was the only normal person in their group of friends. Well, even Chouza too but he would go crazy when he gets angry. And Inoichi always had a weird sense of humour. They were quite an interesting group if the instructors' gossips are anything to go by.

Minato just smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed by the compliment. He was never good with compliments. Always grounded and humble and hungry to learn more.

"Although not everyone." Inoichi interjected gesturing towards the last bench where Kushina was seated."She's your teammate and she didn't make any effort of getting to know you. And the way she glares at you, I don't know if she hates you or is in love with you."

Minato and Shikaku had a mix of bemusement and disinclination. Even Chouza stopped munching and stared at Inoichi with a raised eyebrow.

"What? Some girls have a weird way of expressing their feelings. I'm just saying she might be one of them." Inoichi defended himself. The remaining three boys just shook their heads in a disapproving manner. Hanaku too, who heard Inoichi's words looked a little offended by the generalized statement.

"But I wonder why she doesn't like you. You never teased her or anything. We are probably the only ones who didn't compare her to a certain vegetable." Chouza spoke for the first time this day. He wasn't much for words unless the occasion calls for it.

And before Minato could reply, the classroom door flung open revealing a tall imposing man in his late-twenties. He had sharp and rugged features with short silver hair. He wore a black full sleeves shirt and black pants with a grey flak jacket. He carried a black trench coat over his shoulder with his left-hand fingers supporting it.

"I'm Kosuke Morino," his voice deep and his gaze stern. "and I'm the designated leader of team 10. I want the members of my team to step forward. Now." The commanding tone got all three of the Ino-Shika-Cho on their feet and standing rigidly in front of him in no time. Kosuke eyed the three of them carefully for a minute before sharply turning on his heel. "Follow me." he said, as he proceeded to walk out of the room. The trio promptly followed him waving a final goodbye towards their blond classmate.

The room went eerily silent with the presence of only three members, each in different benches. Minutes passed rather slowly and there was no sign of their sensei yet. All of them chose to stay silent before Kushina had enough of it. "Who does he think he is? Making us wait for this long. I'm gonna pummel him to the ground when I see him dattebane!" she yelled standing up from her seat and walking towards the rest of her teammates who looked at her with wide eyes. That look irked her further. She walked up to Minato and stood in front of him with her hands on hips. "What are you staring at, blondie?" she almost seethed.

Minato looked terrified by her presence and just shook his in a perfervid manner. She was the only one who could entice such a reaction from Minato. Hanaku was watching this exchange anxiously.' This isn't a good start. They are already not getting along well.' she thought. She praying her sensei would show up before the argument explodes further. She knew about Kushina's fierce nature and how she didn't hesitate to get physical in these kinds of situations.

Her prayers were answered when Naruto walked into the room. He looked even more bored than Shikaku. He was wearing the standard Jonin uniform; dark grey t-shirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up with matching pants and shinobi sandals and the usual green flak jacket. "Meet me on the roof in 5 minutes." he said, looking at Minato and Kushina, who in turn looked at him curiously before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

'A shadow clone?' the three of them thought in unison.

* * *

Black Zetsu was furious. All the planning he had done over so many years was wasted. It wasn't many years, considering how much time he actually spent on this planet but it still annoyed him to accept that his hard work went down the drain. All the hopes he had on Madara were destroyed by the sudden appearance of Kagunshiki. An Otsutsuki no less, just like Kaguya, his mother. He stopped for a second and tried to recollect his previous thoughts.

'An Otsutsuki just like mother. Should I just confront him and tell him about my plan? Madara is just a pawn for him. No. I shouldn't. Mother told me to trust no one. Damn it. I need to wait and manipulate Madara into doing my bidding. Ah, yes. That will work. I just have to make him trust me and keep away from that Kagunshiki. It's easy to manipulate him. He is Indra's reincarnation after all.' he thought while chuckling internally. He was watching Madara getting into his crimson battle armour from inside the Gedo statue which has been his sanctuary ever since Madara was presumed dead after his fight with Hashirama. Black Zetsu was yet to reveal himself to the former Uchiha patriarch and that had been a mistake. A mistake which he intends to correct soon.

"Wow, Madara. You look like you're ready for some action." White Zetsu said with a stupid grin plastered on his face.

"Yes. I have rested long enough. It's time to put my plans into action." Madara said while adjusting his armour's metal plates on his shoulder.

"So...Where to first?" White Zetsu asked as he watched Madara walks towards the wall where his weapons are present. There were three black robes, two long Katana's, five hira shuriken, a scythe and a white gunbai.

Madara swiftly reached to grab the gunbai and turned around. "Let's begin with one tail." he said and started to walk towards the exit of the cave.

"One tail? But I thought Nine tails was your favourite. Shouldn't you go for that first?" White Zetsu smile was replaced with a confused expression.

"It is. And that's exactly why I will hunt it last. The excitement to see my long lost pet will make me finish our business with the others faster." As soon as he finished his sentence, a sly smile crept up his face. He punched the huge boulder that blocked the entrance of the cave. The moment his fist made contact with the boulder, a shockwave pulse through the huge rock before it began to crumble into pieces. When the way was clear, Madara looked at his palm once again and flexed it. 'This indeed feels good. I can feel the power surging through me. Time to dance.' he thought with a smirk.

* * *

Naruto leaned against the railing on the roof of the academy. His clone dispelled a few minutes ago and relayed the memories. It was only a matter of a minute or so before his students or more like his parents reached the spot. He still had no clue how to deal with them. He was so caught up in the fact that he'll meet his parents again that he totally forgot there was a third member in that team. ' I get to see both mom and dad but they have no idea who I am. And I'm the adult here while they are kids. This is completely messed up.' he sighed, exasperated by that thought. 'Damn that old man. He did this on purpose.'

' **Of course he did. I have to give it to him though, he a sly one**.' Kurama voiced his opinion from the inside.

'Not helping Kurama' the blond deadpanned.

' **Who said I was trying to**?' Kurama burst out laughing inside his head. Naruto wasn't in the mood for Kurama's amusement rant so he cut the mental link. And soon, three figures came into his view but his eyes focused on the blond and the redhead only. He could see the calm look on his father's face and the fury in his mother's eyes when they were close enough. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of both of them together. He always imagined how they would look like side by side. Though they are still kids now, the picture made him feel a little complete, like it filled a void somewhere in his heart.

"You were late. Every team left long before you even showed up." Kushina was quick to react. she always has been. It was in her nature to speak her mind irrespective of the consequences.

Naruto just raised his eyebrow and looked at Kushina curiously.' Well, I see why Granny used to say I'm more like my mom. She even more hot-headed than me.' he thought and just smiled and observed her. She had a round face, which, with her red hair naturally framing both sides of her face, giving her the resemblance of a tomato. Her attire was a sleeveless kimono-style blouse that was yellow in colour and held closed with a green obi over a short-sleeved mesh shirt with a pair of dark blue shorts and brown shinobi sandals. His smile widened at the thought of her pummelling boys who dared to call her a tomato.

"What are you smiling about dattebane!?" she shouted while pointing a finger at her new sensei. Minato was taken back a bit while Hanaku continued to gaze around worriedly.

"You waited for merely an hour before you lost your patience. Shinobi missions will require you to stay still without moving an inch for hours at stretch. What will you do then?" Naruto asked with no hint of a smile whatsoever. 'I let my emotions make a mess before. I won't let it happen again. And I'll make sure Mom doesn't too.'

The look on Naruto's face almost made her flinch. She froze in her place thinking about how to respond. She gulped when nothing struck her mind.

Naruto noticed Kushina's hesitation. He realized he made her think about his previous question. He felt relieved that he was able to achieve it even though he had to be a little harsh. He just ordered them to sit on the stairs for the time being. "Let's just start with the introductions. State your names, likes, dislikes and your dreams. Why don't we start with you first." he said pointing his finger lazily towards Kushina.

And Kushina being her usual self, replied back strongly." It's proper manners to introduce yourself before asking others _sensei_." The last word said in a mocking manner.

And Naruto was highly amused by this. 'Well that's mom I guess.' "My name is Naruto U-..." he paused.' Saying Uzumaki is bound to attract mom's attention. Better if I don't.' he thought before continuing. "I'm your Jonin sensei. I like ramen and my friends. I don't dislike anything in particular. My dream is to protect-" his voice betrayed him at that moment. He wanted to say it but he couldn't. 'How can I say it? How can I when I couldn't?' he thought.

' **Oi brat. This is no time for self-berating. Snap out of it before they get suspicious of you**.' Kurama's advice was soft and genuine.

"My dream is to protect everyone I care about." Naruto finished. He mentally thanked Kurama for the advice. He appreciated the giant fox's support and guidance. He wondered how he would manage if it isn't for the tailed beast. "Now, you go." he motioned for Kushina to start.

"My name is Kushina Uzumaki. I like being a shinobi and I hate pompous geniuses who think they are above others." she said glancing towards Minato for a second, an act which wasn't missed by Naruto, before continuing. "And my dream is to become Hokage." The fire in her eyes didn't betray her voice one bit. She was determined to achieve her goals and she made it clear to her sensei.

'Am I missing something? Dad was a genius, sure but he wasn't a stuck up. At least that's what I heard. And why does it look like mom hates him?'

' **That's Kushina for you. She was always like this. Fierce, bold and a bit too loud. And yes, Minato isn't a stuck up. Their relation is somewhat similar to how you and the Uchiha brat were. Remember how you hated his guts for being better than you?. It's like Deja vu.** '

Naruto ignored the chuckling fox and took in the new information.' It makes sense now. She just wants to prove herself. This is going to be fun.'

"Minato. It's your turn." He took in Minato's appearance with a quick look. Minato wore a white tracksuit with three stripes on the sleeves, mesh under-armour, a pair of black pants, and sandals. 'He's not as imposing as he is as an adult but he's tall for an 11-year-old. At least taller than me when I was his age.'

Minato smiled and nodded before he began to talk." I'm Minato Namikaze. I like reading books. I don't hate anything in particular either. My dream is to become the Hokage just like my new teammate here and keep the village safe."

Naruto just smiled in return. He liked the way Minato spoke. Soft yet determined. Short and simple yet powerful. He felt like he was back to being a fanboy of the leaf's fourth Hokage during his childhood. Pushing his thoughts aside, he turned to face the last member of the team.

"Nex..." His movements froze. He felt like his world tilted upside down when he faced her. Those pearlescent eyes with a hint of lilac, the dark purple hair, it was unmistakable. "Hi...Hina...ta.?" His breath hitched as he barely managed to whisper the name. A lump formed in his throat and he almost choked. He shut his eyes hard. 'No. I won't let my emotions get the better of me again. Never again.' He tried to calm himself but flashes of Hinata's memories kept passing through his mind. Her eyes. Her hair. Her face. 'The days just kept getting worse for me.'

All three fresh genin had worried looks on their faces. They weren't understanding what was happening with their new sensei. One minute he was listening intently with a smile and the next second, he would frown with a disturbing look.

' **Oi Naruto. Calm down. You're making a scene**.'

Naruto didn't even listen to what Kurama was saying. He hated his luck. 'Why does fate have to be so cruel?' he thought. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He cleared his mind of any lingering thoughts and stiffened himself.

"Sorry about that. The wind...it's heavy today. Anyways, next." He said looking away from the Hyuga girl. He decided not to meet her gaze. It would do him no good if he tried to.

Hanaku stared at Naruto for second and nodded." I'm Hanaku Hyuga. I like my village and my family. I don't hate anything either. My dream is to see the world prospering in peace without any wars."

'Hanaku? She's Hinata's mom then?' The resemblance made much more sense now and that much harder for him to deal with them. He was related to every member of his team in one way or the other. He thought he could hold back his emotions as long as he was here, but it seemed the task was getting harder every second.

"That's a very interesting dream, Hanaku. I too hope we can achieve it someday." Naruto said with a forced smile. He couldn't help but be uncomfortable looking at Hanaku. She was like a painful reminder of Hinata. A reminder of his failure. "You're an interesting bunch of brats. That's it for today then." he said as he started to leave before paused. "One more thing. You'll have a survival exercise tomorrow. If you fail that, then you'll be sent back to the academy." He didn't say like it was a threat. But it didn't sound like it was something to be taken lightly either. He sounded as if he didn't care if they fail.

"What?!" Kushina yelled. Hanaku stared at Naruto with wide eyes and her hands covering her mouth. Minato frowned. "You have no right to send us back to the academy. We already graduated." Kushina continued. She was angry alright.

"On the contrary, I do. I make the rules and you follow them. And remember, don't eat breakfast or you'll puke. Sharp 6 in the morning at training ground 10." He said with his back faced to the genin while walked away from them. 'Let's see if they can do better than us back in the day. Kakashi sensei's way is truly frightening and awesome at the same time. Tomorrow should be fun.'

* * *

"I take it you want to leave right away and get started?"

"Yes. We can't afford to waste any time. The sooner we find him, the better." His voice was a bit muffled due to the presence of a mask.

"And do you any particular location to search for? Or you will you start off in some random direction?"

"There's one place I will check first. The Mountain's graveyard. It was Obito's secret hideout. I'm not sure but there's a possibility that Madara might be there."

Hiruzen just nodded in agreement. That sounded like the most logical thing to do. "One last question before you leave." Sasuke remained silent and the Hokage took it as his cue to continue. "Why the crow mask? I thought you'd prefer a hawk."

Sasuke drew a deep breath through his porcelain crow mask which had purple streaks on its sides. He was clad in the ANBU uniform; the grey flak jacket and arm guards along with boots instead of sandals and a Chokuto instead of the usual tanto. " A tribute to my elder brother who sacrificed everything for this village."

"I see. I have nothing else to ask or to say to you, Sasuke. Just don't go overboard with your power. No one had seen the true power of Mangekyou Sharingan since the time of Madara and a Rinnegan ever. And since you'll be searching not only in the land of fire but also in other nations, it's better if you keep a low profile, especially since you're a shinobi of the leaf now. I don't want another war to deal with." He let out a light-hearted chuckle at the end, trying to convey his sad predicament to Sasuke.

"I'll try my best to use as less force as possible but I can't promise things won't get out of hand either. It's Madara we are talking about." Sasuke reply was flat. He said those but he didn't sound like he meant them.

Hiruzen sighed at the Uchiha's response. He was sure this was bound to bring some trouble but he can't back down now. "And could you tell the same to Naruto too? You're the best person to talk to him given his condition. You're free to leave whenever you are ready after that."

"Lord Hokage, I wanted to ask you something."

"Of course. What is it?"

"Why? Why bind Naruto to his parents? Is it because you pity him for growing up as an orphan? Or is it because you think Naruto is strong and he'll train them better? Naruto is already suffering and seeing his parents now would only reopen some old wounds. He got over their deaths and had a closure back then. Spending time with them might affect him in more than one way. He might flat out reject their presence to shield himself or might grow bonds which he eventually has to break once our work here is done. So why?"

Out of all the questions, Hiruzen wasn't expecting this. He took Sasuke's smile as a good sign yesterday. Was his decision wrong? He did think about what Sasuke just said before but his reasons seemed to outweigh the cons. But now, hearing the same thing from a different person seemed a lot worse. He decided to voice his reason and act according to Sasuke's response. After all, Sasuke knew Naruto better than he did.

"That most definitely wasn't my intention Sasuke. Quite opposite in fact. From what you said yesterday, Naruto seems a little broken. He lost faith in himself. The reason I put him in charge of that particular team was to help him gain his lost faith. What better way to prove his thinking is wrong than to hear it from the very people he admires and loves? Minato is a perceptive child, very much like you. He can see through people. And Kushina isn't one to hold back her words. My intention was that Naruto will realise his mistake in closing himself off through his parents. But if you think this won't work and might have the opposite effect, I will change his rank. I don't want to cause him any more harm than he already suffered."

"No. That won't be necessary. I think your way might exactly be the thing we need for Naruto to return his usual self." Sasuke replied smirking under his mask, which of course wasn't visible to anyone.

Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief. He was visibly eased after hearing Sasuke's response. His plan wasn't a total failure. For now at least. But he decided to be more careful with their team. The last thing he wants is a Jhinchuriki from a different timeline running wild in his village because he couldn't handle the emotional weight and snapped.

"Thank you for your faith. You may leave if you don't have anything to ask."

Sasuke just nodded back and disappeared in a blur.

* * *

Kushina was upset. She was borderline mad and wanted nothing more than to beat the living daylights out of the person who upset her. And it was no surprise it turned out to be her new sensei. Yes. And she hated Naruto's guts. Even more than Minato. Maybe not. No one annoyed her more than Minato. She wished nothing more than to wipe the smile off the younger blond's face herself. But the older blond wasn't far behind.

"Stupid blonds. Stupid Sensei." She kept muttering while walking back to her home. And much to her annoyance, the path to her home was barren. Not one person could be found in her visual range. She wanted to lash out at someone and let her frustration out. But fate wasn't kind enough for her. "Naruto. What kind of stupid name is that? Who is dumb enough to name their child Naruto?" she kept talking out loud until she stopped for a second. 'Who is dumb enough?' She actually started to entertain that thought. ' Minato is dumb enough to do that. Yeah, he most certainly is. But how could the mother agree such to a thing? She must be dumber than Minato, I guess.' She giggled out loud, covering her mouth with her hands. That brought a smile to her face. She felt like all her frustration was gone. "This is interesting. I didn't even have to beat anyone this time and I feel better than ever. Maybe I'll just scold that Minato and Stupid sensei from the next time. Yeah. It's better than beating up other boys." She said out loud again as she reached the entrance to her house. She turned the doorknob and entered inside with a satisfied smile on her face. A pretty rare occurrence.

Unknown to her, a shadow followed her on the way. The person stopped a good 50 meters away from her house. Far enough not to be caught but close enough to keep a watch on her. He was sitting on a branch of a tree, leaning against the trunk with his knees close to his chest. He was depressed.

" **Hahahaha. I told you it was a bad idea to follow her. Are you happy now? Hahahaha.** " Kurama couldn't control his laugh. He was having a field day with his amusements.

"I never thought mom could be so mean." Naruto mumbled internally.

" **What did you expect after dropping the bomb like that?** "

"Boohoo. Jokes on her then. She too agreed with my Name."

" **Exactly why this is even funnier**." Kurama's laughter didn't seem to die down anytime soon.

"They are supposed to love each. Not fight like this. At least dad is being polite towards this."

" **Hmmm. This might be a serious problem if it continues for long though. If they don't end up together, then you won't be born. And your existence will be erased from this timeline.** " The fox's voice lost all its playfulness. It was serious and it meant business.

"What?! What do you mean?" Naruto was alarmed. How could he not? He just heard he could die.

" **Calm down. As of now, Kushina and Minato are still destined to be together. Your existence is the proof of that. Your presence in their lives didn't affect that. But if too many changes take place and their fates change and they don't end up together, you won't be born in the future. And if that happens, your mere existence is a paradox in nature and...** "

"Hey. Use simple words will ya?"

Kurama deadpanned but complied nonetheless. " **If you interfere too much with them, you will die. Let the natural progression of time flow be undisturbed and you must be all right. Get it?** "

"Yeah. Don't interfere with their lives. Let it happen as it did in the past."

" **Good. And how do you plan on dealing with the other problem?** "

"What other problem?"

" **Don't tell me you forgot. She's a Jinchuriki just like you. She has me inside of her as well. I'm sure the other me has sensed our presence already. If the other notifies Kushina about us, then we'll have a shitstorm on our hands to deal with.** "

'Damn. How could I forget about that?' Naruto thought seriously. This really was a big problem. Problems seemed to pile up every passing second and he had no idea how to deal with them. At least Kurama was being helpful. "Wait a minute. You said you didn't have a very good relationship with mom when you were inside of her. Even if the other you tell her about it, mom won't believe and brush it off aside." That idea eased him a little. He was glad Kurama was a spiteful beast for once.

" **True. But I wouldn't relax just yet. The other me might just co-operate with Kushina for once to learn the truth. I always hated being left out in the dark about anything and did things which surprised even me.** "

And just like that, all the worry which left a few seconds ago returned back. He hated Kurama for being a spiteful stuck up. "What the hell am I supposed to do now then?" He was tired of thinking about all the problems.

" **I have an idea but it's risky. Very risky in fact. But it also might the best chance of hiding our true identities.** "

"What it is?" Naruto almost sounded excited. It was possibly the first positive reaction Kurama observed in Naruto after Hinata's death. It brought him a little hope that Naruto didn't completely change and there is a chance for his old self to be back.

" **Reveal the truth to my other self.** "

* * *

Sakumo was confused. He was never this confused in his 25-year lifespan. First, two mysterious people show up out of the blue on the verge of the death. The Hokage confesses they both are stronger than him or any other kage for that matter. Then he suddenly starts trusting them both than anyone else around and lets them roam around the village scot-free and to top this all off, he sends one of his best Jonin out of the village to find his perverted student leaving only one active Sannin in the village. This the worst possible scenario the village could be in.

But he would never voice his concerns out loud. He trusted his Hokage enough and knew Hiruzen had a good sense of judgement. Konoha didn't come out on the top in the second ninja war solely because they had strong shinobi. The tactfulness of Hokage is what won the war for them. So he would just obey his orders and carry out his mission as always. And he also doubted that Hiruzen had some plan in his mind if he is trying to find Jiraiya of all people.

And don't get him wrong. He respected Jiraiya as a fellow ninja. He couldn't deny the strength and ability the toad sage possessed. But he couldn't believe how big of a pervert he was either. 'That man has no sense of shame whatsoever.' he thought while searching for the said person in Tanzaku town's crowded streets. He knew this place was the best bet to find Jiraiya. After all, this place was famous for its gambling centres and women.

It's been already half a day since he entered the town and covered more than half of it without any sign or word of Jiraiya. Just when he about to think of any other place where he could find his fellow white-haired man, he heard a familiar laugh.

"Hahaha. And then with 1 hit, I sent that Sand ninja flying into trees. And he was my fiftieth victim that day."

"Really? 50? I find that number rather hard to believe." said a woman in a sultry voice.

"Oh but it is the truth darling. Jiraiya is no lair. Hahaha"

And that's when Sakumo decided he heard enough to confirm his suspicions. And he promptly entered to witness the scene of Jiraiya's face snuggling between a woman's rather gifted chest.

"Oh my god. Jiraiya! Have some respect towards the three prohibitions will you?" Sakumo said in a disgusted tone. He just turned around not to face the pervert or the poor woman who had to survive among such perverts.

Jiraiya just lifted his head to see the source of the voice that decided to interrupt the moment. He immediately recognized the white hair and the sword that was strapped on the back. "Sakumo! Are you here to enjoy as well? This couldn't get any better. I'll call for more women. Just wait."

"No, Jiraiya. I'm here to take you back to the village on the Lord Hokage's orders. Get up and let's leave." Sakumo said still facing away from him.

Jiraiya face faltered. He slumped his shoulder and started to sulk with a mock pout." That old geezer has no sense of timing. I told him I was on a vacation." But he soon lost his pout and sat in his defiantly. "Tell him I refuse to come. I will return only after I complete my vacation in this heaven. I can't leave this poor angel alone, can I?" he said while tickling the woman chin to which she responded by giggling.

"Jiraiya. This is not the time. We might have a problem. A problem bigger than the war." Sakumo's voice was low but it had the desired effect on Jiraiya.

Jiraiya knew Sakumo very well. Sakumo was one of the most trusted people by Hiruzen apart from the Sannin. Not only that but Sakumo was the perfect representation of the will of fire. Strong, loyal, kind and fierce. And when Sakumo says something, he means it. If he's as serious as he is now, it really does mean a bigger problem than war. He immediately stood up from the purple velvet sofa causing the woman who was leaning on him to fall onto the furniture.

"Let's go then." He said as he walked up to the White Fang. "And what is this problem you talk about?" he continued as he lifted the flaps of the establishment to exit the building.

"Well, it started when two shinobi around 20 years ended up on the Hokage mountain with severe injuries..."

* * *

 **A/N: Let me know what you think about this chapter in your reviews. I also want to take some time to address a few concerns you might have. First, Kushina being the dead last. I know Kushina is a very talented ninja and a master in fuuinjutsu. But she herself said she wasn't good at studies in Shippuden. So I took that as my reference point. And I know Hanaku seemed a little like Hinata in this chapter but she isn't. She is just a kind and a soft-spoken person but not a stuttering mess. If there is anything else that's concerning you, please let me know. I'll be happy to clear it up. Copy Ninja out. Ja ne.**


	5. Chapter 4

"You did what?!"

And at that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew this was going to be another long day. Why? Because it always was when Tsunade was this infuriated. He honestly couldn't understand where the Senju woman got this trait from. His senseis weren't anything like her. One was the ever smiling and radiant 1st Hokage Hashirama and the other was the calm and calculating 2nd Hokage Tobirama. In fact, he was sure Tsunade was the first one in her clan to such a fragile temper. He knew she would grow up to be one of a kind woman but never expected to turn out like this. He was the biggest victim of that.

"Calm down Tsunade. I know you might think I made a mistake but..."

"Mistake? No. You just committed a grave blunder, old man. What were you thinking letting them join our ranks? They could be spies for all we know." Tsunade cut off the weary Kage before had a chance to explain his actions.

"They are not spies, Tsunade. I can vouch for that." Hiruzen stated flatly.

"And even if there is someone ridiculously powerful than any kage out there who managed to beat the living hell out of those two, who you think are stronger than you, doesn't giving them asylum make us a target now? You basically put a huge red mark on our backs by your actions." She continued as if she didn't even hear him.

"Tsunade..." Hiruzen drawled warningly.

"It was their problem and now you turned it into the village's problem. Were you even thinking about the village when you decided to play the saviour for them?"

"That's enough!" His shout along with him slamming the desk was all that needed to shock Tsunade and make her quiet. Hiruzen was never known to react harshly. Even in the midst of battle, with all the adrenaline pumping through veins, he managed to keep his composure. And for a person like that to act like this was truly frightening. You know what they say, 'when the good guy loses his patience, even the devil trembles.'

"I do everything for the sole purpose of the safety and prosperity of this village. And if you think I'm not doing such a good job, then you're free to take my position and run the village as you seem fit." he said and took off his hat and held it towards his female student. His voice was laced with frustration more than anger and his eyes didn't betray what he felt either.

Tsunade was taken back by this outburst. She never doubted her sensei's judgement, ever. She knew he was the most level-headed person in the village, alongside Sakumo that is. His sense of morality and judgement was second to none. Better than her grandfather, in fact. She just wanted to voice her concern about his decision. Just like always. But he didn't react like always. No, He reacted like never before. Which means her concerns are totally misplaced. But his decision was totally imprudent. Unless she was missing something. Something which her sensei knew but was not telling her.

Hiruzen noticed the dazed look on her face and sat down with a sigh placing his hat on the desk. "I'm sorry Tsunade. I shouldn't have reacted like that."

That brought Tsunade out of her thoughts. "Uh..no. I should be the one who must apologise. I shouldn't doubt your decisions and I crossed a line when I implicated you didn't care about the village." Regret was written all over her face. She didn't even meet her sensei's gaze.

Hiruzen felt worse than ever looking at Tsunade. Gone was the strong woman who didn't hold back her words. Gone was all the bravado she always displayed. He knew that under all that toughness she showed, there was a self-doubting girl who always worried about living up to the expectations of her clan and the society. The standards her ancestors set were inhuman, godly even and though she was anything but weak, she still couldn't get her worries out of her mind. And right now, he was staring at that girl. Not Tsunade Senju, one of the Sannin, the best medical ninja, and probably the strongest Kunoichi in history. But Tsuna, the little 10-year-old girl he took as his student all those years ago. The girl he considered as the closest thing to a daughter.

"I know what I'm doing. Trust me. But I can't do this alone. I need your support. I need everyone who I trust to help me. The problem we are facing is unlike anything before. The great ninja wars might pale in comparison to what we might face against in the near future. And right now, those two are crucial. So, can I rely on your support, Tsuna?"

'Tsuna? He never called me that...in ages.' She thought as he snapped her head back to look at him. He looked like he aged 20 years in these few minutes. His face looked weary and the frown he sported wasn't helping either. And that's when she realised what she needed to do.

"You know old man, I don't think you'll last 3 days in this office without my support." She said with a cocky grin. "And about your earlier offered," pointing her finger towards the Hat," that job isn't for me. And if you're really interested in passing on your responsibility, I'd say Sakumo is a better choice. Since he wasn't trained by you." She continued as she turned around to face the exit.

"Make sure you don't screw this thing up sensei, and one more thing," she turned her head to glance at him while holding the door half open, " I don't trust them one bit. Especially that black haired guy." And with those words, she slammed the office door close and exited leaving a smiling Hokage to his musings.

* * *

"He is late. Again." Kushina seethed while grinding her teeth in anger. She was barely able to control herself now since she's been waiting at the training ground for the past 3 hours along with her teammates. Not 'hopeful teammates' because she was hellbent on passing whatever survival exercise Naruto planned. ' I'm going to wipe the floor with that stupid blond. ' she thought while brandishing her fists.

"Maybe he's caught up with some important work. We shouldn't jump to conclusions without any proof." Minato tried to reason but a part of him was telling him otherwise. ' Shikaku's assumption of getting a lazy sensei doesn't seem too far-fetched now.' he thought. Even his patience was starting to wear off. Especially since he didn't have any breakfast.

'Don't eat breakfast or you'll puke.' Those words still sent shivers down his spine. The smile Naruto gave while warning them did nothing to help either.

Minato's words just irked Kushina further as she walked up to him and stood defiantly with her hands on her hips. "Stop trying to defend him, Namikaze. I'll show you blondes what happens when you mess with me."

"Stop it both of you. This isn't helping us in any way. Shouldn't we be worried about what kind of test we are going to face when sensei arrives?" Hanaku interjected sternly though there was a hint of hesitation in her voice. She didn't want to be too rude to her teammates but knew speaking softly won't help either.

"you're right Hanaku. You all should be worried." said Naruto leaning on the tree trunk just behind the now wide-eyed team of genin. The reason they looked so stupefied was that they didn't sense him approaching and he was right behind them. It was like he just appeared out of nowhere.

Kushina was the first to regain her composure." What took you so long? We've been waiting for three hours already. What kind of a ninja you are if you can't even follow your own timings." the redhead lashed out.

"It doesn't concern you brats so I have no reason to tell you that. Now, shall we begin?" he asked, his voice dripping in excitement.

Minato and Hanaku looked a little relieved that their new sensei didn't take offence at Kushina's outburst. Both just nodded their heads in agreement while Kushina just huffed while crossing her arms in front of her.

"Good. Now I'll explain what you have to do pass this test. I've hidden 3 scrolls in the nearby woods and all you have to do is find them."

"That's it? We find 3 scrolls and we're done with this stupid test?" No one was surprised when it was Kushina who spoke first.

"Yes."

"Then this will be a piece of cake dattebane!" The young redhead declared.

'Only if it were as easy as it sounds.' Naruto thought while trying to suppress his smirk.

Minato noticed the look on Naruto's face and quickly realized that the older blond was clearly hiding something. 'This test might be tougher than it looks. I can't take this lightly whatsoever.'

"Oh, and one more thing. I'll be guarding those scrolls, by the way. You have till lunch to find them. So good luck." And with that Naruto disappeared in a poof leaving three stunned hopeful genin.

* * *

Jiraiya and Sakumo were walking along a dirt path that leads to the main route to Konoha. Each of them lost in their own thoughts until Sakumo glanced towards Jiraiya to find the latter frowning and thinking hard. From his experience, when Jiraiya is this calm, it meant something was troubling him. So he decided to know what was the thing that troubled the toad sage and had an inkling feeling that it was about the two newcomers.

"Something wrong Jiraiya?"

"Hmm. From what you told me, Sarutobi sensei thinks those two are powerful than him and there's someone else who is stronger than those two. But it doesn't make sense."

"What do you mean?"

"If there are 3 shinobi who are easily Kage level, then my spy network would've caught something about them. Names or description or at least the work they've done. But I heard of no such thing."

"Maybe they just laid low all this time?" Sakumo offered but doubted it was a good enough reason. He had to admit what Jiraiya mentioned indeed made no sense but he was still hoping the worst wouldn't happen.

"They could've, but it's not easy to completely mask themselves from the society. Powerful shinobi attract attention easily. Their mere presence and the way they carry themselves is enough to speak volumes about them. Unless they isolated themselves completely for all their lives and grew up in shadows, there's no way what they are telling us is the truth."

"But lord Hokage seems to believe them. It's like he knew them for their whole lives."

"Sarutobi sensei trusts others easily. He always sympathises with others like no one else does. That's his strength but also his weakness." Jiraiya with a shake of his head.

"Are you doubting the Hokage's judgement, Jiraiya?"

"I can't even if I wanted to. That old geezer is wiser than me, Tsunade and Orochimaru combined and he proved it to us on many occasions. I just feel sometimes his sense of morality and empathy might overcome rationality. And if it did, then the village is in a grave danger Sakumo."

Sakumo just nodded in return. Jiraiya's explanation has created more doubts in his mind instead of clearing them as he expected. But for now, he would trust in his Hokage's judgement and hope their fears won't come true. A small smile crept up his face as he continued to walk beside Jiraiya. He was mesmerised by how deep Jiraiya's thoughts went he really wanted. 'The man is no genius, but he can be wiser than anyone around sometimes.' The smile faltered when the Image of Jiraiya's face buried in the woman's chest flashed in his mind. 'How can one person have such extreme sides. One moment, he's a major pervert who thinks with his smaller head while he can be the best Shinobi when the occasion calls for it. I guess I will never understand this man.' he thought with a shake of his head and continued to walk.

* * *

When Naruto poofed out of existence, Minato was the first one to regain his composure and quickly started to analyze the situation. He took a look at his surroundings.

'Everything surrounding this clearing is a dense forest for at least 3 Kilometers in every direction. I can see why sensei chose this training field. We have almost 30 square Kilometers of ground to cover between the three of us with three scrolls hidden. Covering the area wouldn't be much of a problem, but finding the scroll will be. We can finish the search faster if we split up, but sensei will be there guarding it. One on one confrontation with a Jonin is out of the question for us. Oh, wait. Hanaku has the Byakugan so locating the scrolls will be easier for her. While 2 of us engage sensei, the third one can sneak up and snatch the scroll. Yeah.. that can work.'

"Oi Hanaku. Use your Byakugan to locate the stupid sensei. The scrolls will be where he is and he's a bigger target than those tiny scrolls." Kushina spoke before Minato could say what he thought.

Both Hanaku and Minato were surprised by Kushina's words. They stared at her like they were seeing a new species of plant or animal they've never heard or seen before.

"What?!" Kushina snapped rather irately.

"Uh...Nothing. That's a very nice plan, Kushina." Minato blurted. Even Hanaku nodded with a small smile before activating her visual prowess. She started to search for their sensei as Kushina said tilting her head from one side to another.

"Just because I finished last in the academy doesn't mean I'm a dim-wit, you know. I will become the Hokage and show you what I'm capable of." Kushina said in a low tone facing her back to the others. Her words were spoken in a forlorn manner. She was always looked down on by the others. She was treated as an outsider, teased because of her hair colour and kept at a distance because of her behaviour. She knew she wasn't born in Konoha but all she wanted was to be accepted in the village. In her village. But no one did. That's why she decided to become the Hokage. If she became the village leader, maybe people will finally accept her as one of them.

Minato noticed the sadness behind her words. He never understood her from the very beginning. She was always aggressive in her approach and the way she carried herself and looked strong. Like nothing would break her resolve no matter what. And that's what interested him about her apart from her hair. And the more he observed her and tried to understand her, the more interested he became as he couldn't get a proper read on her. But he never saw her like this. The way she spoke those words felt like she was glum. "Kushina, I didn't mean..." And before Minato could complete his sentence, he was cut off.

"Found him." Hanaku's words got Minato and Kushina's attention as both turned towards her. "He's almost 1.5 Kilometers ahead of us in that direction, sitting on what looks a boulder." She continued while pointing in the north-west direction.

"Let's go then." Kushina said with her usual confidence.

"But we still don't have a plan on how to face sensei." Minato said instantly. Agreed that Kushina's method of locating the scroll was easier and better than his way, they still needed a way to take that scroll from Naruto.

"We don't need a plan. I'll take care of him." Kushina said before leaping into the trees and heading off in the direction that Hanaku was pointing earlier.

"Kushina wait. It's not advisable to face him directly. He's a Jonin." Minato yelled while following Kushina's actions and leaping from one tree to another. Hanaku too was right behind Minato with a worried look on her face.

* * *

Sasuke was jumping from one tree to another in the thick forests when he sensed he was being followed. It has been almost a day since he left the village and this is the first time he noticed that he was being tailed. 'Damn it. It took me a day to figure this?' he thought before trying to sense how many were following. '1,2...That's a total of five. Not bad. Danzo isn't taking any chances.' A smirk crept up his face when he realised something. 'This is the perfect chance to show Danzo not to mess with us. I'm going to have some fun.' and was decided to confront the ones following him.

He continued to hop, hoping to find a clearing in the middle of this dense forest. He didn't want to prolong the fight more than necessary and the trees will only drag it further. Soon enough, he found the place he was searching for. He immediately jumped down from the trees and landed right in the middle of the clearing.

The leader of the root team was confused as to why his target suddenly ceased his movement. There wasn't any stream or river nearby too which eliminated the option of taking a break. Especially since it wasn't even a whole hour since the last break. That's when he heard Sasuke talk.

"I know that you guys are out there. All five of you. So stop with that pretending and let's get on with it." Sasuke's words were sharp and clear.

All five members tensed up suddenly. Everyone was taken back to know that their cover was blown. The reason was they were the best infiltration team present in the whole of the foundation. They can mask their presence like second nature and can go virtually undetected by anyone. They were confused when they were ordered to follow Sasuke. They didn't understand why a team of five people who are specialised in stealth operations are required to follow one man. But that doubt was now starting to fade. The mere fact he was able to detect them all was enough proof to understand one thing. The man before them was no ordinary shinobi.

'Our orders were to just follow him. Not confront him. But it's no use now. Our cover is blown. The only option left is elimination.' the team leader thought and decided on his future course of action before signalling the others to surround him.

Sasuke waited patiently after he spoke. He knew they would come out since he knows about them. Hiding now would make no sense. ' They must be making plans on how to deal with me. How pointless.' he thought. And the next moment he was surrounded by five men in ANBU gear and porcelain masks.

"I have a message for Danzo. I'm hoping you can deliver it to him on my behalf." Sasuke said before pulling out the Chokuto from his back. The five of them drew out their tanto's in response. All six of them held their stance for a moment before making their move.

Three members launched themselves towards Sasuke with their tanto's in front while two stayed back and started weaving hand signs.

" **Fire Style: Bomb Blast Dance.** "

" **Wind Style: Vaccum Wave** **.** "

Sasuke was busy fending off the three in front of him that he didn't notice the two launched their attack on him. The three immediately scattered revealing a spiralling wave of fire propelled further the vacuum wave increasing its speed. There was no time for Sasuke to counter it, so he started to jump back to create as much space as possible between him and the incoming fire tornado while activating his left eye. When the combination jutsu caught up to him, he just absorbed the jutsu through his right hand while holding the blade in his dominant arm. When the jutsu was completely absorbed, a smile crept up Sasuke's face under his mask. ' Looks like this fight will stretch me a little. Good.' he thought.

The five of them didn't understand what happened but realized their attack clearly didn't work. This time all of them decided to attack at once and overwhelm him with numbers. They rushed forward with the intent to kill and nothing less.

Sasuke in a quick burst of speed leapt forward, taking them by surprise and slicing his blade horizontally, inflicted a gash to the torsos of two of them in the middle while the others just leaned back. The unhurt members charged at him and Sasuke was able to parry their attacks with relative ease. He noticed that their movements were rather slow for an elite foundation member and took advantage of it.

He blocked two tantos which tried to slice vertically with his blade while taking out a kunai with his right hand and slicing the thighs of those two in front of him. He then brought his left hand back and blocked another attack and kicked him in the gut, sending him flying towards a nearby tree. The two who were the first to be injured were now up and continued their attack. Sasuke dropped the Kunai and leapt back in the air. The two followed him and tried to thrust their tanto's into him, only to pierce the air. They didn't understand where the Kunai came from or where Sasuke disappeared to.

Sasuke who now stood where he previously dropped his Kunai charged a Chidori in his right arm. The two shinobi turned back when they heard a chirping sound.

" **Chidori Stream** "

Waves of lighting shot across and hit them dead on. The strings of electricity passed throughout their bodies, earning a blood-curdling scream from both, effectively paralysing them. Their unconscious bodies hit the ground with a thud. And before Sasuke could take a breath, another two leapt into the air to attack him from above. He just backflipped and spun in mid-air and threw his blade at them which they dodged rather easily. When the blade was right beside one of them, he replaced himself with his blade using the **Amenotejikara**. And before anyone realised it, he charged another Chidori and changed it changed it chakra nature to make a sword out of it which pierced his opponent's thigh. The victim of **Chidori Lance** fell to the ground leaving a frightened member behind to face Sasuke all by himself. Sasuke just kicked him right in the face to render him unconscious.

He knew he had to kill him no matter what. Failing to do so would compromise his mission and failure is not an option among the Foundation. The mission was the top priority, even ahead of his own life. That's what he was trained for. That's why he was made to suppress his emotions because they would be a hindrance. He knew he can't feel anything. He shouldn't. But he didn't understand why he was sweating and his body was shaking a little. He didn't understand the sinking feeling he felt in the pit of his stomach when he looked at his opponent. That guy made him feel something he never felt before.

Fear.

There were a lot of doubts in his mind right now. 'Who was this guy? How was he able to make our combination attack disappear with his hand? How was he able to move so fast?' Similar thoughts plagued his mind which only increased his doubts further. But he was certain about one. 'He's no ordinary guy. He's a trained killer. The way he moves is a clear indication of movements of an assassin. Even his lighting jutsu earlier was an assassination technique.' That's when he realised something. Perhaps the most important doubt he had about his opponent. 'But why didn't he go for the kill? He clearly could have, but didn't.' He shook his head. 'This is no time to think about his motives. I have to find an opening and finish him.' he thought. He slowly walked around in a curve holding his tanto in front of him making Sasuke imitate his movements.

And before he could make another move, Sasuke burst into a flock of ravens and disappeared from his spot reappearing behind him. He turned around and came face to face( mask to mask in this case) with Sasuke. He could swear he saw a red glow in Sasuke's right eye hole. And before he could register the eye pattern and come to a conclusion, he was caught in the genjutsu and collapsed onto the ground.

When the final one, the team leader, tried to attack Sasuke from behind, he simply caught his assailant's arm and twisted it around and kicked him in knee making him kneel on the ground. He hit the leaders head with the handle of his Chokuto knocking him unconscious.

When he was sure that he incapacitated all five of them, he went around and dragged their unconscious bodies across and leaned them against a tree. He took some cable strings and tied them up to prevent any further movement. He then produced five small chakra rods about 3 inches in length and pierced them into their arms.

'Time to send the message to that bastard.'

* * *

The small alarm clock on the tree stump showed it was twelve o'clock as it rang out loud in the training field. A fingerless glove hand punched it to stop the buzzing and put it to a rest. And the man to whom the hand belonged stared at the three in front of them with an impassive look giving away nothing. But internally he was a little amused by the job he had done on them.

Hanaku was panting hard, trying to regain her normal breath. She was supporting herself with her hands on her knees and would've fallen down if it weren't for that. Her wrists ached a little as if she just went through an intense sparring session with her father in her clan compound. She couldn't help but be amazed by her new sensei's skill. 'He was able to block every one of my moves with ease. Just like father. But he's not a Hyuga. Still, he was able to counter the gentle fist like one. It's like he had a lot of practice doing that. One thing is sure. He's strong.' she thought when her a sharp pain in wrists made her wince due to the slight shift in pressure on them. ' and a little rough.' She marvelled at how Naruto was able to dodge her attacks even in close combat and countered by grasping her wrists and keeping himself away from them leaving her whole body exposed to attack. She learned one thing with certainty that day. The gentle fist was a technique with a lot of drawbacks and relying simply on it wouldn't do her any good.

Minato wasn't in a better shape either. His tracksuit jacket was in fact torn at places. He leaned against one of the stumps with his back against them while rubbing his left forehand which he used to block all the kicks Naruto aimed at him. Those kicks hurt like a bitch. And he was sure Naruto was still holding back. A lot.' His taijutsu is totally on another level. He moves around so easily and his movements are fluid. And there's power behind those punches and kicks even without trying. My hands would've been in a worse situation if I didn't manage to dodge half of his attacks. But speed definitely didn't help me outsmart him. And he can use all 5 Chakra natures. I've heard of powerful shinobi using 2 or even 3 natures but all 5? The only other person I can think of is Lord third himself. And the way he fights has nothing normal about. One can gain such experience only through fierce battles and war. No amount of training can amount to that. But one thing is sure, whoever sensei is, he's strong.'

But the worst of them all was Kushina. She looked so dishevelled that no one would deny if she said she just fought a grizzly bear in the forest and managed to come out of it alive with no fatal injuries. She just sprawled on the floor unceremoniously, looking at the clear blue sky while breathing hard. She looked exhausted and pissed. 'He didn't even touch me. Like I'm a disease or something. And I still ended up with the most damage.' And true to her words, she did. There were cuts and bruises on every exposed part of her skin. Her face was smudged with dirt and there were leaves and small twigs sticking out of her thick red mane. ' He simply dodged me and I ended hitting a tree or crashing into a bush or rolling on the ground. Does he think I'm not even worth fighting?' she thought with an irate frown. But her expression soon changed into that of an anguish. ' He's no different. Another person who hates me because I'm not from this village. And why would he be when the others around aren't. This shouldn't come as a shock to me, right? I never expected him to be different or anything.' she thought but she knew that she wanted him to be. To be different from others and not judge her by her last name. To not differentiate her from the rest and treat her like a Konoha villager. Like she belonged in this place as much as the others. He was her sensei. He was going to be a major part of her life whether she liked it or not. Was it too much to hope for such a person to treat her as an equal and not an outsider? Her chain of thoughts was broken when she heard Naruto's voice.

"This is disappointing." he stated with a sigh. " You three are worse than I thought."

And silence followed for the next minute as if Naruto wanted those words to sink into their minds and remember they all failed. Miserably.

"I am sorry... Sensei. But I'll work harder from now on strive to become better" Minato said standing straight.

"Me too." Hanaku piped in, but didn't dare to make any eye contact and decided to stare at her feet instead.

Naruto just brought his hand up and pinched the nose of his bridge. "You guys still don't get it. Do you?" he said and motioned for them to approach him.

Hanaku lifted her head up to face Naruto with wide eyes. They were wrong? Again? But in what way? Minato's expression changed to curiosity. He had a feeling that Naruto was somewhat different from the people he usually sees around. He guessed this was the moment he'd know that. Kushina too got onto to her feet and took a few steps to stand to the right of Minato while Hanaku stood to the left. Kushina knitted her brows with a mix of suspicion and interest. She was interested to know why her sensei thought they didn't understand whatever they were supposed to and also had a suspicion that she's not going to like what he was going to say.

Naruto saw the three in front of them with three different looks on their faces. If it wasn't the gravity of the situation they were in, he'd think they looked cute with such varied expressions. But this wasn't the time for such thoughts. What he was going to say could shape the way they viewed the world and what kind of shinobi they become. That was a heavy responsibility to anyone. He gave himself some time to think what and how he was going to say.

"This test was never about you three passing by retrieving those scrolls. Or did you really think that 3 fresh academy graduates where enough to beat a seasoned Jonin?"

His words hit the said academy graduates like a slap on the back of their heads. All three of them realised what Naruto said was true and it was undeniable. No matter how talented or skilled or determined one is, there is a huge gap between them and him. How could they be so stupid to think that they can actually win against such an opponent?

"It was never about to test your skills or assess your strengths and weaknesses. I could've done that with a simple sparring session among us. Why would I go through such an elaborate process of setting up a mock mission?" he asked as if he wanted them to answer it. And he kept silent after that waiting for one of them to say something. He knew it would take time for them to fully process his words and understand them.

While he waited, the three agreed that their sensei had a point in their minds. But the real question was if this wasn't to assess their skill level then what was it for? Why go as far as creating a fake cave using some earth style jutsu just to hide a scroll which contained nothing? Or put them in a scenario and make them work as hard as they would on a real mission?

Minato paused his train of thoughts for a second and went back a few words. Real mission. That's it. He looked straight into Naruto's cerulean orbs and answered. " To see how we would perform in a real mission?"

"Close, but not close enough. It's to see how well you three could work together as a team. There's a reason why you every genin is made to work in a team or every ninja for that matter. Because there will be comrades to help you along. To help each other and protect each other. I deliberately put you in situations where working together was the only choice you'd have. And not only you three failed to notice that, you didn't think about teaming up with the others. Especially you, Kushina." he said the last part while pointing a finger at the mentioned girl.

"You thought that you could win against me one on one without any help. It didn't even look like you were trying to go for the scroll. You rather seem fixated on landing a punch or two on me. You totally let your emotions determine your approach during that time and that's exactly the kind of thing that will get you killed in the real world out there. You rejected Minato's and Hanaku's help, you disregarded whatever idea he had to snatch the scroll behind my back and never even considered working with the other tow during all three times where you attempted to gain a scroll. If it were a real mission, you not only endangered your life but the lives of the others as well."

"Minato, it is good to know you are willing to work with the others and don't think that you can get everything done all by yourself because you're the rookie of the year. You didn't shy away from taking up the leadership when it was required. But you're still uncertain about many things. You doubted yourself sometimes and let down your guard. But the most disappointing thing for me was when you hesitated to exchange the scroll you snatched from me when I had taken Kushina as a hostage. I had to threaten to physically harm her for you to agree to that exchange. Does gaining the scroll and becoming a ninja means more to you than saving your teammate from harm's way?"

Minato eyes shot up instantly when he heard Naruto's words. He shook his head fervently at that accusation. "N...no sensei. I... I just..." he struggled to say what he meant. He would never do a thing that's even remotely similar what Naruto implied. He would never choose a stupid scroll over the safety of his teammate.

Naruto who understand the turmoil behind Minato's stuttering response put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and softened his gaze. " I know, Minato. I know that you would never do such a thing. But even that slight hesitation can endanger the life of your comrade in the hands of the enemy. Remember, the mission is important and the success of the mission depends on how well you acted according to the rules. And in the shinobi world, those who break the rules are scum."

All three of them shot him a confused look. His statement contradicted everything he said before and they didn't understand what was going on. Naruto decided to continue before his students feel even more confused.

"But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum. There will be missions where failure is not an option sometimes because it may have dreadful consequences. But you can never weigh one life against any other. If you can't even save one life then how can you save several? And when a situation comes where you have to make a choice like that, remember that it only means you have to find a way where you don't have to make a choice. When you're backed against a wall, then break the goddamn wall if you have to. Understand?" he asked with a small smile.

Minato just nodded with a smile of his own. Not the usual cheerful one but a rather understanding and appreciative one.

"Hanaku. I'm glad that you were the best out of the three. You were always open to working together without even thinking about how it might reflect on your performance. You shared your opinions and welcomed others as well. A sign of true team player. And the best of all, you cared for your teammates. But you were hesitant to attack me. You held back many times and it could've made a difference if you could've just attacked me unrestrained. Or did you think I wouldn't be able to handle your gentle fist?"

Hanaku put her head down in shame. She never meant to insult her sensei by holding back. Nor did she think her sensei would be unable to defend himself. She just didn't want to hurt him, even by mistake. She knew how painful it is when the chakra points are closed by force. And she didn't want to do that to others. Especially her new sensei. " I didn't mean to offend you by doing that sensei. I'm truly sorry for that." she mumbled. She didn't mean to mumble but she couldn't find her voice.

Naruto just chuckled lightly. "Don't be sorry for that. You were just being kind there. It's in your nature. Don't ever be sorry for who you are. But don't let that kindness hinder you. Sometimes you are forced to do something which other's may not like. As long as your reasons are right, no matter what others say, don't let anything put you down. Ok?"

"Yes sensei." she replied with a nod.

"Good." he said and turned to face all three at once. " Everyone has their flaws. I think this test brought out a few and I hope you will try to accept them and work on them to improve yourselves." he said in a slightly higher tone.

Minato and Hanaku nodded their heads with a new found determination. Naruto didn't hold back in pointing what they did wrong but was gentle in making them understand what they were and how to deal with it. And they were glad that Naruto was their sensei. But Kushina just stood still, gazing at the ground below her.

'He criticized the three of us for our faults. But he appreciated only those two for their positives. None for me. Was I that bad? Didn't I have atleast...one positive in me? Am I not fit to become a ninja at all? No. That can't be. Father and mother always said I would become a great Kunoichi one day. And they were never wrong. I guess it really was too much to hope for a person not to treat me like an outsider.' Kushina thought all the while trying to control her tears which threatened to spill. She wasn't going to cry because her sensei didn't acknowledge her. There's no reason to be sad here. She was never acknowledged in this village and this was just another such instance.

"I guess we're done then." he said and started to turn around when he heard Hanaku's question.

"Does this mean, we pass sensei?" Her voice was half excited and half doubtful. Even Minato looked at him expectantly at that question while Kushina continued to stare at the ground.

The corner of his lips tugged up a little at that. "Of course you three pass. I never intended to fail you three from the beginning, to be honest. Who would give up the chance to teach younglings like you which so much potential?" He walked up to where the three stood and crouched in front of Hanaku.

"You are such a kind hearted person who wishes for world peace and welfare of the others. And you have the skill and potential to become a great ninja. The world needs more people like you, Hanaku."

Naruto's words brought a bright smile to the young Hyuga heiress's face.

Turning towards Minato, Naruto continued. "You are a gifted boy, Minato. Not many are born with the amount of potential you have. And I heard you're quite a perceptive one. I was half expecting you to see through this test, you know. Learn to look underneath the underneath."

Minato took his sensei's words to his heart. He realised Naruto had quite a few expectations on him and made a promise to himself to live up to those expectations from now on.

Finally, Naruto turned to face Kushina who didn't bother to face him. "Kushina, I don't know what to say really." he said.

'Just say it. Say it I'm good for nothing and be done with it. I don't want to hear any more of your words.' She thought while controlling her self. But she wasn't prepared to hear what he was about to say.

"You probably have the most potential among the three. I don't know what, but I think something is holding you back. Something in your mind that doesn't let you open yourself up completely. And unless that happens, you can't reach up to your limits and then some more. I believe you'll be a great Kunoichi one day. I know you will."

Kushina snapped her head up to look at him. She stared right into his eyes and saw the way he looked at her. It was different from the usual looks she got. He looked at her like he really believed in her. Just the way her mother and father used to look at her. He even said those same exact words she grew up hearing in her childhood.

"I'm sorry if you felt I was a little harsh back then. But I was just really looking out for you. Believe it or not but we're very much alike, in more than one way. Even I finished last in the academy when I was a kid."

That earned surprised looks from both Minato and Hanaku. But Kushina gave no outward reaction to that. If she was surprised, she did well to hide it.

"Not only that. Even I was a little brash and thought I could beat my sensei all by myself then. I was isolated and all by myself for the most part of my childhood. My first friends were my teammates and they are like a family to me. It's only because of them that I am what I am now. I did a lot of stupid things when I was small and I don't want you to do that. I want you to be better than I was. You have the potential to become the Hokage one day. But you can't become that all by yourself. You need your friends and comrades' help and support to reach your goal. A great person once told me that he tried to do everything by himself and that was his biggest mistake. He warned me not to do the same mistake he did, and I try not to do it. And I want you to do the same. Help others and let others help you in any way possible. I hope you understand me." he said and stood back straight.

"I'll see you all tomorrow near the entrance of the Hokage tower at 8 Sharp. We'll be doing our first mission tomorrow, so come prepared." he said and started to walk away from three genin.

Kushina continued to stare at the back of now retreating blond man. 'Maybe he is different after all.' she thought as she felt like all the sadness that weighed her down a few minutes disappeared. She simply turned around and started to walk away from the training ground in the direction of her house not paying any attention to her teammates who were calling her. 'Maybe things will change now. This time for good.'

* * *

She was sitting in her usual table inside the usual Izakaya she visits every time she felt annoyed, irritated, vexed or any of the other 8 emotions which meant she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. She continued to stare out into the busy evening streets through the glass window beside which she was seated as the waitress served the sake in the cup in front of her. The evening sky which was turning darker every minute gave her a sense of tranquillity like none other.

'Managed to live another day without you two, and I didn't even cry or smash a wall today. Quite an achievement, don't you think?' She thought as she brought her Sake cup to her lips and downed its content in a single gulp. This became a daily routine for her. Every evening, she comes here and drinks for a while, all alone before heading back to her house and falling asleep, not bothering with dinner. She would strongly disapprove such behaviour for anyone else and would smack their heads if it was someone close to her. But the rules don't apply to her. At least that's what she says to herself. It was like she was trying to shorten her lifespan on purpose and the only reason she continues to live is that she wasn't dead yet. She felt she lost all purpose in her life after the deaths of those two. And killing herself was out of the question for her. She didn't like how the news would read in the next day's paper. 'Tsunade Senju, the granddaughter of the 1st Hokage, kills herself because she was too much of a coward to deal with problems.'

She tried to pour some more Sake into the cup but nothing came out from the bottle. She placed the empty bottle on the table with an exasperated sigh. She wished her teammate was here now. Though she often thought he was annoying and a pain in the neck most of the times apart from being a massive pervert, she knew he was good at heart and only wished well of the others. Though she never held back while knocking some sense into him, she wished he could just be in front of her with his goofy smile and pervy antics to pull her out of this melancholy.

When she stared out through the window again, she could see two all too familiar shinobi with white hair walking side by side. 'Speak of the devil. Nah, More like a clown.' she thought with a smirk and walked out of the establishment leaving a few Ryo bills on the table. She noticed that she was behind the pair of men already and they were heading in the direction of the Hokage tower.

She quickened her pace though feeling tipsy to catch up to them. "Where are you two heading?" she asked, her speech slurry, her eyelids half closed and with her hands around both of them while she barged between the two men.

"Hoho! Tsunade? This is a surprise." Jiraiya said with a huge grin while Sakumo just nodded in her direction acknowledging her presence with a slight discomfort etched on his face, obviously due to the vicious grip she had them both in. Not that she noticed it was that strong with her being in a slightly drunken state.

"It is a surprise for me too. Aren't you supposed to be on vacation somewhere, peeping on women?"

Jiraiya knew it was more of a warning than a question. If he didn't answer her properly, he would be put in the hospital for a few weeks. And her being drunk only meant she wouldn't hold back, intentionally or not. "What? No. No. I mean yes,...I...uh was on my vacation. But I would never peep on women." he said while swaying his hands dramatically over the place with a sheepish laugh.

Tsunade just raised her eyebrow conveying she wasn't convinced.

"You know you're the only woman in my heart, princess." Jiraiya said taking a sly tone. That wasn't a total lie too. For as long as Jiraiya knew, he held his heart to only one woman. Tsunade. All the others were just to fill the void she left every time she rejected him.

Tsunade raised her eyebrow further up as her eye started to twitch. She turned towards Sakumo almost immediately. "Where did you find him?" she asked almost threateningly.

"Uh...Tanzaku town?" Sakumo replied.

Tsunade turned back to face Jiraiya again. "You were whoring around. Weren't you?" she asked although she suspected it was the truth. The town was known only for two things and she knew for sure that Jiraiya had no interest in gambling whatsoever. Well, nobody did as much as her except her grandfather but that was beside the point.

"No. No, I wasn't. I was...gathering Information. Yeah. That's what I was doing there. Right Sakumo?" he tried covering and gave a pleading look to the Hatake when Tsunade faced the other side.

Sakumo knew Jiraiya and Tsunade had a strong bond between them even though it wouldn't look that way when the latter was chasing the former around the village threatening to break every bone in his body. And now, he was struck between their... bonding. She was debating what to say now. He didn't want to lie and encourage Jiraiya's behaviour further. But telling the truth would mean Tsunade would most probably put Jiraiya in the hospital and the Hokage wanted to talk to the spymaster as soon as possible. He finally decided that it would be easier to just nod and be done with it rather than have another rampage through the village. And talking about what happened in that godforsaken town would only bring images into his head which he really didn't need.

"Right. That's what he was doing when I caught him. Information gathering." Sakumo said all while glaring at Jiraiya for making him lie like this.

"Alright, fine. You guys heading to meet Sensei?" she finally resigned after Sakumo's reply. She was neither able to nor in the mood to observe little things like Sakumo's glare and hesitation and dig deeper.

"Yeah. Apparently, he has something he needs to talk to me about. I wonder what it is about?" Jiraiya didn't make any effort to hide the sarcasm behind his words. He didn't sound pleased as well.

Tsunade turned to face Sakumo again but this time her face was much serious. "Is it about those two?" she asked him to which a simple nod was the reply. She turned to face straight ahead to look at the Huge red tower which wasn't much far from them now.

Although her conversation with the Sarutobi in the morning ended up with her leaving understanding his explanation, it didn't mean she accepted it. Far from it. She had doubts that her former teacher was hiding something very crucial about those two and she had an inkling feeling that she wouldn't like whatever it was. So this was her final chance to clear things up. And she wasn't planning on wasting it. She was already drunk. Might as well make an excuse of it to get into a war of words with the Hokage.

* * *

 **A/N: This is my biggest chapter yet with almost 9k words. And the future chapters will be of the same length. Don't forget to share your views and opinions with reviews. Be it positive or negative. They will just help me improve my writing so I'll welcome them with open arms. Until next time.**


	6. Chapter 5

He could see the entrance clearly. The huge stepped wall carved into the cliff guarded by ninjas ranking from Chunin to ANBU is an awe-inspiring and an intimidating sight for anyone. Especially for those who want to attack the village. Well, anyone except for one Madara Uchiha, who didn't bat an eye towards it. His focus was solely on the narrow passageway in the middle of the fortified wall which was the only entrance into the Hidden Sand village.

He continued walking in the brisk pace alongside Zetsu, who was struggling to keep up with him. The heat wave in the wind country made him sweat and his clothes started to cling to him like a second skin. His battle armour didn't help either but he didn't focus on such trivialities. He was here for a purpose and he'd make sure he'll walk out of this dessert with what he came for.

"So...what's the plan, Madara?" Zetsu asked who was almost jogging now to keep up the pace.

"You go and locate where the One tail is being held. It doesn't have Jhinchuriki if I recollect your information. Right?"

"No. Unless they sealed into someone in the past week."

"It doesn't matter either way. Just find me the beast." Madara replied, his voice unwavered by the uncertainty of his target's status.

"Of course. But what about you? We're already in the visible range of the village guards. How will you enter the village now?" Zetsu questioned with a worried look on his face.

"I'll enter like everybody else. Through the passageway." Madara said while smirking.

Zetsu frowned for a moment before understanding the meaning behind those words. His eyes gleamed as a stupid grin spread across his face as he started to sink into the ground below. "Have fun." were his last words before he disappeared completely to get on with his work. Madara continued to walk until he reached the entrance of the passageway where there were 4 chunin already present, guarding it.

They looked tensed and wary of him and rightly so. His mere presence radiated omnipotence and they knew the chances of this man being a threat was close to a 100%. One of the ANBU guards has already dispatched a message requesting a backup squad and two teams on standby in case things get out of hand. The security measures have risen since the end of the second great ninja war despite suffering huge losses. The mission requests have declined and they are yet to regain their full strength. And the last thing they needed was another attack on their village.

"State your name and purpose." The chunin on the left asked with a firm voice keeping his apprehensions at bay.

Madara stared at all the four guards before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He sighed and stayed quiet for a few moments making the already tense atmosphere more dramatic. "I am Madara Uchiha and I'm here for the One tail." he said without a care in the world.

The guards were stupefied when they heard his answer. 'Madara Uchiha? He's here for the One tail? Isn't he supposed to be dead?' were a few of the hundreds of thoughts that raced through their minds in an instant. Before they could react to his brave confession, they were attacked.

Madara didn't waste any time after he stated his name and intentions. It had the desired effect he guessed it would. Taking their moment of hesitation as his chance, he kneed the guard in front of him and then an uppercut was enough to knock down the first opponent. Before the other three could even register what happened, he punched another one in gut who flew and hit the wall of the passageway. He finished the remaining two by leaping into the air and delivering a split kick right to their faces.

Immediately, all the guards jumped down from their positions and surrounded the man in the crimson armour and held their ground. The wind picked up and gusts flew across Madara's face making his black mane flow revealing his onyx eyes. The cold stare he was giving sent shivers down his opponents' spine.

In a quick burst of speed, Madara was quickly onto his opponent with a high knee kick right into the chest. The unfortunate fellow, who looked like a Jonin by his appearance, was left with broken ribs and a possible lung puncture as he was seeping blood through his mouth. The Uchiha continued his assault by delivering a roundhouse kick to ANBU followed by another powerful split kick to two who looked like they were just waiting for their turn. The receivers of the split kick flew in opposite directions almost parallel to the ground taking down anyone who was in their path until they crashed into the sand a few meters away.

One of the ANBU who witnessed Madara wiping the floor with 10 men in a matter of seconds realised that the 50 members (now 40) present wouldn't stand a chance to win against the Uchiha. He decided to go report the situation to the Kazekage immediately and made a run towards the passageway. He turned his back while running as fast as he can to take one last look at how his comrades were handling the situation. The sight of his fellow ninja flying away like rag dolls only made him run faster.

* * *

The past week has been the most restless Sarutobi has ever been. Even during the war, he used to force himself to sleep as he knew the importance of staying sharp during times of battles. But the present situation, however, proved to be even tougher than a war. No matter what he tried or what he did, he couldn't clear his mind at the end of the day.

The war paled in comparison to the implications of Naruto's and Sasuke's presence in his village. He believed himself to be an optimist. He never lost hope and tried his best to turn around a bad situation and in the end, one way or the other, his beliefs stood tall. But now, seeing the very village burn into the ground in Sasuke's memories, he couldn't help but fear such a possibility.

A lot of 'what if' questions wandered his mind every night he tried to sleep on his bed and the thoughts only got worse each passing day. Just like his appearance. Bags started to form under his weary eyes. And he didn't even notice that up until his wife pointed it out and questioned about his bothering.

But that wasn't the only thing worrying him about the events that happened in the future. There was the situation of Orochimaru. His favourite student. To see him turn out like that was just heartbreaking for him. He considered the Snake Sannin as a surrogate son. Even more so after his parents died. He thought by showing affection and love towards him, he would lead him down the right path and would one day select him as a successor.

But that wasn't meant to happen anyway. Even without the knowledge of the future events, he noticed the changes in Orochimaru's behaviour. His interest in forbidden jutsus and immortality was already bordering on obsession. But he convinced himself that he was looking too much into it due to being on the edge ever since the second great war and was reading between the lines which didn't even exist.

But after learning that the doubts he cast aside had indeed turned out to be true, it was unsettling at the very least. He not only lost a student but also wasn't able to protect the village from the very man he hoped to see as it's leader.

'What to do?' he thought while standing in his office and staring down at the busy morning village through the window. ' I failed once. Both as a mentor and a leader and I want to correct those mistakes if possible. But is it possible? Can Orochimaru still be saved from the dark path he chose?'

He wouldn't ask himself such questions under normal circumstances. He wouldn't doubt himself and would instead work on saving Orochimaru. But after seeing and knowing what terrible things Orochimaru did, he asked himself one question. Is the Orochimaru he saw in Sasuke's memories the true one or is he is a just a product of a flawed society that turned an enthusiastic child into an obsessive power hungry individual?

The answer was easy if it is the first option. He would have no choice but to stop Orochimaru himself even though it hurts him. He can't let his misjudgement and incompetence harm the people of the village he swore to protect with his life. But if Orochimaru turned bad because of the circumstances and false delusions, then his job is going to be a much harder one. All that is left to do now is to see which category his students come under.

* * *

He sighed inwardly as he finished filing his morning reports. He was a little happy that the work today was a little less compared to the usual. Less work meant more time for his study and research session which he wasn't able to spare any time for recently. Especially after the end of the second ninja war.

He pulled out the drawer to his left and took out a bunch of papers and placed them on the table before him. He shuffled through them until he found the one needed and started to look for where he left off the last time so he could continue. But fate seemed to have other plans as he sensed a presence approaching.

True to his doubts, an ANBU member appeared before him in the next moment. He couldn't see the ANBU's face behind the mask but he knew he was worried. His sleeveless arms were heavily perspiring and there was a slight shivering in the knees. And it was a very rare sight to see a member of one of the most elite groups of shinobi quake in fear like that.

"Lord Kazekage. The village is being attacked. The intruder is right now fighting at the passageway and may enter into the village any moment sir."

He immediately frowned upon hearing the ANBU's proclaim but didn't give out any outside reaction. He just tried to analyze the situation when he realised something. "Did you just say _the intruder_?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

The ANBU quickly caught onto what his village leader meant by that question. He couldn't blame him for being suspicious. After all, anyone will find it hard to believe that one person was attacking the village through the main entrance in broad daylight. "Yes my lord. It's just one person."

"What about the guard unit?"

"He probably took them down by now, sir."

The Kazekage just raised an eyebrow with a scowl forming on his face. The ANBU gulped before speaking to explain the situation. "He took down 10 men in a matter of seconds, my lord. He was strong. Too strong for any of us present there to handle. So I decided to inform you of the situation before it got out of hand. I apologise for abandoning my post and leaving behind the others but I thought..."

The Kazekage just raised his hand in response. "No need to explain. I fully understand the situation. Go and gather all the Chunin and Jonin and meet me at the borders of the valley nearest to the passageway." The orders came out smoothly and without a hint of worry. But the ANBU just stood there without disappearing like the Kage expected. "Why are you still here?"

"He said his name was Madara Uchiha and he was after the One-tailed Tanuki sir."

The Kazekage just inhaled sharply hearing those words. "I see." was his only response. Taking the silence that followed as his cue, the ANBU vanished to carry out his orders. He knew that the lack of any outward reaction from his leader was only because of the Kage's calm and stoic nature and he had nothing to worry about.

The Kazekage exited his office and walked towards the council room where he knew he would find his friend, his most trusted advisor and the Jonin commander, Shintaku. He pushed open the doors to find not only Shintaku but also the ANBU commander in a meeting hall. 'Perfect' he thought.

"Lord Kazekage. Is there any problem? It's not often that you chose to enter this room?" Shintaku asked in a mocking tone. Shintaku was a pale man with a light auburn hair and dark eyes. He wore the standard Suna Jonin uniform. He was classmates with the Kazekage from the Academy and their friendship continued to this day. He was the only person the Kazekage doesn't greet with a calculative glare.

"Indeed. The village is under attack by someone. We need to move. Now." the Kazekage stated in an even tone.

"I'll gather all the ANBU then, my lord." The ANBU commander in the devil mask with 2 red horns said and vanished instantly.

"By whom? Is it Kumo? Or Konoha?" Shintaku asked with a worried frown.

"We don't know yet. But apparently, it's just one man."

"One man?" the Jonin commander spurted out incredulously. Before he could make any sense of what was going on, he was following the Kazekage who was walking towards the building exit. He jogged a little to keep up with the stoic leader. "Who could it be?"

"He claims himself to be Madara Uchiha and is after the One Tail."

Shintaku's eyes widened and his mouth hung loose for a second before he recomposed himself. "Did you just say Madara Uchiha? The rogue ninja from Konoha? The one who died fighting the first Hokage more than 30 years ago?"

"I only know one Madara Uchiha and it's him."

Shintaku continued to stare at his longtime friend with a twitching eye. "You do realise how ridiculous it sounds right?"

The Kazekage stopped walking and sighed outwardly which was pretty rare. "He's obviously an imposter. But the ANBU who informed me about this claims the invader took down 10 men in a matter of seconds and the 50 men who were assigned guard duty are no match for him. Whoever he is, he's strong and whatever village he belongs to is planning to send us a message by targeting our tailed beast. But what's going to happen is I'll send them a message instead, that no one messes with Suna while I'm the Kazekage. And I need you to make sure that the villagers are safe and the cell where the tailed beast is held is secured."

Shintaku stood there stunned. This was probably the most words he witnessed come out of his friend's mouth continuously. He also noticed the underlying anger in those words. A small smile creased his lips. He shook his head and replied. "Fine. I'll evacuate the buildings closer to the entrance and assign a couple of teams to guard the cell. Just don't get carried away, ok? Wait until Belial( the ANBU commander) rendezvous with the ANBU units before you confront him."

The Kazekage just nodded and started to walk towards the exit when Shintaku spoke up again."And Eiki, if you come across Rasa during the skirmish, make sure he's alright. He can be quite impulsive sometimes, just like you." The Jonin leader turned around and started to walk away after saying that.

The now named Eiki glanced back over his shoulder to look at the fading image of his friend. 'Don't worry Shintaku. I'll protect your son.' he thought as he made his way towards the person who dared to intrude his village.

* * *

Madara took his sweet time in dealing with the 50 guards before walking through the passageway. He stood on the edge of the passageway and stared at the village from the top. He could see the women and children being evacuated from the houses and ninjas of various ranks taking their positions and forming a wall. 'Good. I don't need to hold back now.' he thought activating his Sharingan.

He took another step and jumped down onto the ground and crouched to stabilise himself before standing straight and looked at the army before him. That's what it was. An army. There were easily 1000 ninjas standing in front of him and he could sense another 2000 approaching towards him. He smirked.' This will be good enough for me to regain my touch.' he thought as he slowly started walking forward. His walk turned into a jog and soon enough he was sprinting at full speed.

He pulled out a small scroll from his pouch and jumped into the air right above the first wall of ninjas. He passed a little chakra into the scroll and his gunbai and weighted chains puffed into existence. Catching the handle of gunbai in his right hand attaching one end of the chain to it and the other end to himself, he landed on a Ninja, burying him into the ground. And before the others could react to his speed, he started from where he left off at the entrance.

He threw his gunbai to his right and delivered a kick to his left. The gunbai hit 2 shinobi right in their guts. He yanked his hand to retrieve the gunbai back to him and smacked the person right in front of him once it was in his hand. He was fending off attacks rather easily and kept delivering bone-crushing kicks and punches with precision. His Sharingan was able to predict and counter every moves his opponents tried. Such was his mastery over his visual prowess. 'Cannon fodder.' he thought as they didn't prove to be much of a challenge.

He suddenly jumped into the air purely on instincts when a wave of sparkling sand tried to sweep him off his feet. The wave immediately came after him and he flipped in mid-air and dodged the wave's charging one after the other. He finally landed on the ground and back flipped a few times until he was sure he was a fair distance away from the reach of the sand.

When he looked ahead he found a 14-year-old boy with auburn hair and dark eyes glaring at him in a crouched position with both his hands placed on the ground.

"You will not take another step into my village." Rasa shouted, the anger evident in his voice.

'I was forced into defence by a mere child? Hmm. He's quite a shinobi then.' Madara thought and prepared to take a step forward when another wave of sparkling sand shot out from the ground where his foot was about to land. He stopped in his tracks and observed the wave and realised it wasn't sand. It was gold. Gold dust. 'He's capable of manipulating gold eh? Must be a magnet style Kekkei Genkai user.'

"That's an impressive ability you got there, kid. Good offence. But how about defence?" he said and dropped his gunbai and formed the horse sign.

" **Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame.** "

A sea of flames erupted over a large area from the Uchiha's mouth and headed towards the targets in front of him. Half of the shinobi on the frontline thought they would be incinerated in those flames. Some people started running back into the village.

Rasa's eyes widened by the sheer scale of the jutsu. His mind went into overdrive. 'What should I do? I don't have any water jutsu that can nullify that. There's only one thing I can do now and hope for the best.' he thought as he summoned a huge wall of gold dust to cover as much area as possible.

Madara just smirked while watching Rasa's efforts. 'Gold has a melting point around 1000 degrees Celsius. My jutsu will melt your wall kid.'

When the destroyer flame hit the wall of the gold, it didn't take long for the wall to start melting. And Rasa knew at that moment that he can't hold against that jutsu for long. He prayed to the god that his opponent would tire out after using a jutsu of such a scale. The seconds passed very slowly and he was starting to feel the heat radiate from his gold dust wall and there was so sign of stopping from the other end. As the heat kept growing, he knew only a miracle would save him and his comrades behind the wall from getting burnt to crisp.

As if his prayers were answered, a huge wall of Iron sand rose up in front of what remained of the gold dust wall. The Iron sand wall stood strong against the sea of flames which slowly started to die down. The wall was glowing hot red when the flames completely extinguished.

Rasa's head immediately turned to face the new presence which landed right beside him. He was a tall man of fair complexion. He had short messy dark-blue hair and narrow yellow eyes. He wore the normal Kazekage attire minus the Kage hat plus a flowing ankle-length white cape. "Sensei. You came." Rasa spoke with relief written all over his face.

"I ordered no one should engage in combat with him till I arrived. But you disobeyed me. What is the meaning of this, Rasa?" Eiki asked his student with a cold glare.

Rasa flinched under the glare he received." I didn't attack him, sensei. I was just trying to protect the others from him." he whispered hanging his head low.

Eiki stared at him for a moment before turning his head to face Madara." Get back, Rasa. I'll handle this now. You've done enough."

"But sensei...I can help. I..." Rasa tried to protest but was interrupted.

"That is an order. As the Kazekage." Eiki stated without even looking towards Rasa with a stoic face.

"Y-Yes sir." Rasa said before retreating back a little. He knew his sensei was strict and arguing would lead nowhere.

Eiki, who took a good look at his opponent, thought that the ANBU's reaction was justified. Madara looked menacing in his crimson battle armour which looked like it was painted with the blood of his opponents. The devastation he caused just went on to prove how strong he was. There were Sand shinobi everywhere around in different conditions, none of them good. He balled his fists and controlled the raging anger. He was the Kazekage and he needed to act like one.

"I don't know who you are, which village you come from or what your purpose is. But you made a huge mistake coming into my village and attacking it." Eiki said as he started walking towards Madara.

"Is that so? So the shinobi who ran off from the gate didn't tell you who I was or what my intentions are?" Madara said, feigning amusement.

Eiki's steps slowed down. 'He knew about him? Then why did he let him go if he knew that the ANBU would approach me? This doesn't make any sense.'

Madara who caught onto Eiki's frown and assuming what the Kage probably was thinking, offered an explanation. " I did let him get away on purpose. Someone had to announce my presence to you. It wouldn't be fun if I just sneaked in and out without greeting you; and stealth was never my style, to begin with."

'He has the Sharingan.' Eiki thought, noticing the red eyes with black tomoes now as he was closing in on Madara. 'Could he really be him? No. Even if Madara Uchiha didn't die during his fight with the first Hokage, he would be an old relic by now. This person can't be him. So the leaf village is behind this then. Hmm. I never thought that the Hokage would resort to such a measure.'

"So I'm supposed to believe that you're _the_ Madara Uchiha? The person who died while fighting against Hashirama Senju?"

The mention of the Hashirama triggered Madara. He _had_ to remind him of the fight he lost. Again. Outwitted and outdone for the last time. Madara's clenched his fists in fury. The blood in his veins started to pump furiously.

"Do not..." Madara said forming a ram seal and infusing his chakra "Mention that..." he continued as his eyes changed its pattern indicating he activated his Mangekyou Sharingan. "Shinobi's name..." a blue aura surrounded him for a second before turning into a huge Incomplete skeleton "In my presence."

Madara's Susanoo was finally in its humanoid form with blue chakra swords in both the arms. The sheer size of it overwhelmed everyone around it. Most of chunin started to give in to their fears at the sight of the symbol of strength. The Jonin who held their ground started to surround the Susanoo and started using their most powerful attacks in their arsenal, hoping to bring it down.

Eiki made a sweeping motion with his hand, summoning his iron sand and trying to throw the giant off balance. But he could only manage to hinder its movement at best. He understood that as long as Madara was inside that thing, there so no chance of taking him down.

Madara's patience was starting to wear off. A few minutes ago, the presence of so many ninjas excited him. But now, it irritated him. He just wanted to be done with all this hassle and get out of here. The Susanoo crossed its arms and slashed across with the blades creating shockwaves which erupted the ground.

The Kazekage noticing the incoming attack realised he can't hold back anything against this one.

" **Iron Sand Gathering Shield.** "

The iron sand formed a wall similar to the one which withstood the destroyer flame previously. But the result wasn't exactly the same as before though. It only managed to reduce the impact of shockwaves before breaking down. The shockwaves still managed to raze everything in its path till they hit the opposite ends of the valley forming a huge X mark on the ground. The destruction was beginning to escalate for the village.

Eiki was now worried. He didn't know how long he could keep defending like this. The only way he could think of stopping this man was taking him down.'But how do I do it? That thing seems impenetrable. Only if Shintaku was here.' he thought. But his thoughts didn't last long as the Susanoo was getting ready for another attack.

He decided to attack regardless of his success in penetrating it. His attack would at least distract the humanoid structure's attack. Right now, his priority was minimizing the collateral damage to his village as much as possible until he can come up with a solid plan.

" **Iron Sand: World Order**."

The Iron sand started to rise up and started to form spikes that branched off irregularly, making it almost impossible to get a clear overview of what was happening. The branched structure then shot towards the Susanoo and trapped it, making any movements impossible. Both the hands and legs were constricted between branched Iron sand spikes.

'This better work. I can't even defend if he manages to attack now.' Eiki thought as he prepared for his attack. He held his arms forward and gathered every speck of iron sand available.

" **Iron Sand Gathering Assault.** "

The technique increased the density of the Iron sand and created a long pyramid out of it. The pyramid then headed towards the Susanoo with such force that the sound of wind being sliced can be heard for hundreds of meters away. The pointy end of it hit the Susanoo right in the middle of its body creating a few cracks but not able to penetrate it.

Madara just smirked looking at that sight. 'Susanoo is the ultimate offensive and defensive technique of the Mangekyou Sharingan.' Just before he could make his move, a concentrated blast of wind hit the pyramid on its base and pushed it further successfully breaking his defence.

Shintaku landed beside Eiki with a smug smile on his face while staring right at their enemy." I figured you'd need the help of the strongest wind user in the whole of Suna if you're facing against the legendary Madara Uchiha, Lord Kazekage."

Eiki resisted his urge to roll his eyes. " Didn't I tell you to secure the One tail?"

"Everything is under control, Eiki. It's hidden in the safest place in this village. I'm sure even you've never heard or seen it."

A small frown creased on the Kazekage's forehead but he calmed down when he noticed the confident look on his friend's face. He trusted Shintaku more than anyone and realised that his worries are for naught. "Then let's get this over with." he said while making a swooping motion with his right hand.

The part of iron sand pyramid which was inside the Susanoo crumbled and turned into a wave again and grabbed Madara by his arms and legs. He struggled for a moment before he was being pulled towards the Kazekage. He noticed that minuscule grains of Iron sand gathering around Eiki and assumed it to be an attack. And true to his assumptions, the Iron sand bullets started approaching him like gunshots with incredible speed. He knew that dodging them was impossible, especially since his body was cocooned with Iron sand.

There was only one thing to do for him now. 'I didn't want to use it but I guess this is as good as an occasion to test it out.' He closed his eyes as he was mere seconds away from being impaled by the **Iron Sand Drizzle**.

" **Almighty Push.** "

The Iron sand bullets repelled back at that instant and flew away in different directions. Eiki and Shintaku both stared at Madara with widened eyes. They thought they had him. One second, the long-haired Uchiha was 1 step into his grave and the next second, he's standing right in front of them as if nothing had happened.

Madara stared at the two in front of him with his Rinnegan. His gaze was so intense that even Seasoned shinobi like them felt a shiver run down their spine. Just then Zetsu decided to make an appearance from the ground.

"Looks like you're having fun. And I found the One tail by the way. But I will wait if you want to continue playing with them for a while longer."

Madara spared Zetsu a glance before speaking to Eiki and Shintaku. " You two are quite the shinobi. You've pushed me farther than I expected. But I can't dance with you anymore. I have other matters to attend."

Shintaku who heard Zetsu's words was in denial.' What's that? No way it could have found where the one tail is. It's the villages best-kept secret. The unground tunnels are practically inaccessible without knowing the way around.' His train of thought was interrupted by Eiki shaking him wildly.

"Snap out of it, Shintaku. You said it was secured. Then how did that white guy find it?" Eiki wanted answers. There were other questions like who Zetsu was and how he didn't know about his presence but the first priority was the tailed beast.

"He couldn't. He shouldn't." Shintaku's mind went into overdrive. Too many things were happening and nothing made sense to him. He had only one thing in mind. Save the village no matter the cost. "Eiki. I'm gonna seal this man away. I need you to get as far away as you can with Rasa."

"What are talking about?" Eiki shouted. Gone was his usual calm demeanour. Right now, he wasn't the Kazekage. He was just another man who didn't understand what his only friend was saying but somehow knew that it wasn't going to end well.

"Trust me, Eiki. This jutsu will seal away anything in its range. I don't want anyone else caught up in it. Now go!"

It took the Kazekage a little time but realisation eventually dawned upon him. "Will...will you come back?" he asked in a low voice. He already guessed the answer but he needed to hear it anyway. But he was only met with silence in return. He understood what the silence meant. "Then I can't let you do this. Rasa has already lost his mother. He needs his father. You can't abandon your son, Shin."

A smile crept up the Jonin commander's face. "I'm not. As long as you are present, I know my son will be safe. It is for his safety that I'm doing this. I will seal away this man, Madara Uchiha or not and save my son along with this village!" He started flipping through an elaborate chain of hand seals after saying his words.

Madara who heard the wind user's intentions became alert. He knew how powerful Fuuinjutsu is and he didn't want to take any chances with it. Even if he did possess the greatest Visual prowess in this world. "No, you don't." he said and raised his hand with his palm facing his target.

" **Infinite Pull.** "

Shintaku who was preparing his move suddenly got pulled towards Madara. He found his efforts to resist were futile. In the blink of an eye, he was face to face with his enemy staring into the purple ripple patterned eyes with a Kunai plunged into his heart. Blood seeped through his lips and trickled down his chin as he felt his soul leaving his body. His limp body finally hit the ground after Madara released his grip around the neck.

For Eiki, everything happened seemed too unreal. He was trying to convince his friend, his only friend, out the suicide mission and he was killed the next moment. He couldn't even comprehend what happened when another pulse hit him and he crashed through one of the buildings after flying in the air for quite some time.

"Wow, Madara. You cleared the path filled with an army with a single blow. That was some really powerful jutsu you used there. Are you sure you're not exhausted after that?" Zetsu spoke with wonder looking at the scene before him.

The main street which was filled with almost 2000 shinobi a moment ago is now a huge clearing with nothing but dust that lingered in the air. The buildings were razed to the ground without a trace. It was hard to believe that there were buildings present before.

"Let's go. I don't want to waste anymore time in this village."

"Alright. Follow me." Zetsu said in a sing-song voice as he lead the way.

* * *

He walked through the dark tunnels of the familiar cave with a fire torch lighting his path. They felt different somehow. The corridors and the halls were larger the last the time he was here, and completely empty. There was nothing to prove that anyone lived here.

But that didn't mean he'd turn back. The lower levels were still present and they needed to be checked although his hopes weren't high. He continued to walk until he found the stairs that lead to the lower levels of the cave. Walking down the stairs felt a little claustrophobic. There was barely space for one person to get down.

When he reached down, he has welcomed to the scene of debris at the entrance of a huge cave whose roof possibly reached the upper levels. He walked over the debris and took a look around to find absolutely nothing. 'That's odd. There's nothing here. Not even dust.' he thought as he bent on one knee and ran his fingers across the floor. He rubbed his finger and brought them to smell. He stood up and walked towards a wall and repeated his previous actions. 'This place was cleaned by someone using a strong stream of water before drying with the wind, and not too long ago either. So someone was here but moved out right before I came here. That can't be a coincidence.'

He immediately turned around and walked towards the stairs to get out of the infamous Mountain's Graveyard. ' I have to find them, whoever they are. They're the key to finding Madara before he can cause any more trouble.' Sasuke thought as he exited the ruins.

* * *

"So the one tail is sealed inside this tea kettle, eh?"

"Yes. It was pretty easy to locate. I just followed the ninjas who were supposed to guard it." Zetsu said while pointing towards the fallen guards.

Madara took a few steps and produced a medium sized scroll. He opened the scroll and placed it on the floor right in front of the giant tea kettle. He flipped through a few hand signs and sealed the tea kettle inside the scroll. After finishing the sealing, he carefully placed the scroll inside.

"That went smoother than I thought."

Madara immediately turned around to face the newcomer. His narrowed his eyes recognizing the familiar sight. "It's you. What do you want, Otsutsuki? I thought you didn't want to get involved in this matter."

"I said I didn't want to capture them a second time. Doesn't mean that I'm not interested in them. Our goals align, remember?" Kagunshiki replied levitating cross-legged in mid-air.

"So I do the all the dirty work and you get the reward?"

"Of course not. You hold onto it for the both of us. I'm sure it is in safe hands. I'll help you realize your dream of the Infinite Tsukuyomi when the time comes."

"Then why are you here _now_?" The irritation in Madara's voice was as clear as glass.

"I came to take you back to the Gedo Statue so you finish sealing this tailed beast into it."

Madara noticed the smug smile on the Otsutsuki Patriarch's face. He guessed something was going on which he wasn't aware of. Even the words Kagunshiki spoke didn't make any sense. 'Why would he bother coming all the way here to take me back to _my_ hideout? It's not like I don't know the way to the Mountain's Graveyard.' he thought. 'Unless…'

"Where is the Gedo Statue?" Madara demanded, his voice dangerously low.

"We had to shift your base of operations as it wasn't a secret anymore. Right now, the statue is present in one of the dimensions only I can access. Thought it would be safe there until you can find a new place."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. Someone came sniffing around your hideout so I had to do what I did. I don't want another trouble regarding this so I took the matters into my hands." he said and opened a portal to another dimension. "Now, if you will."

Madara gritted his teeth, but complied nonetheless. He walked into the dimension followed by Zetsu. Kagunshiki followed them with portal closing shortly after.

* * *

It's been a boring day for Naruto. He thought that being a sensei would mean teaching and training his team. But he forgot the most important aspect about new genin teams. D-rank missions. His duty was to supervise while the genin finished their errands...mission.

'Supervise my ass. It's just as I suspected. I'm babysitting them while they run around playing ninja. I'm stuck here having nothing to do while Sasuke is out there searching for Madara. For all I know, he would just kill that bastard when he finds him and be done for.' he thought while he was walking back to his new assigned place. The sun was just starting to go down, painting the whole sky a bright orange.

" **Isn't that a good thing? This mess would be over if Madara is dead and that's the whole point of our mission**." Kurama spoke from the mind space through the mental link.

"It is, but ... waiting for something to happen while doing nothing is so frustrating." Naruto replied internally.

" **Then what are you going to do about it?** "

"Nothing. I've screwed up enough. I don't want to interfere unnecessarily and cause any more trouble."

Silence ensued for a few moments between Naruto and Kurama. None of them didn't know what to say next. Though Naruto realised that soaking in self-pity wouldn't do any good, he still didn't stop blaming was worried about that. According to Kurama, though it is an improvement, it wasn't enough. He feared Naruto might undergo a personality change if this type of behaviour continued.

He knew and saw many people change completely because of their pasts. The best example was Obito Uchiha and Naruto was so similar to Obito that he feared something similar would happen with his Jhinchuriki too. If his fears were to come true, then kagunshiki be damned, the world will have to face the unbending will of Naruto with a completely different set of ideals, most probably devastating in nature.

" **You're not being yourself, Naruto. Why are you trying so hard to be someone which is a complete opposite of the real you? I thought you were getting better when I saw how you dealt with those brats of yours after the test. But you are back to blaming yourself for something which wasn't in your control**."

"Because that Naruto screwed up, Kurama. I can't be the reason why we failed even after being given a second chance. That's why."

" **People make mistakes, Naruto. Doesn't mean they should change. They just need to be careful to avoid them being repeated.** "

"There were a lot of times I have screwed up, Kurama. You of all people know that."

" **Yes. But** _ **that Naruto**_ **was the one who beat the genius Neji in the chunin exams.** _ **That Naruto**_ **changed Gaara.** _ **That** **Naruto** _**was the one who brought back Tsunade to Konoha.** _ **That Naruto**_ **was the one changed Nagato.** _ **That Naruto**_ **was the one saved the Shinobi world in the fourth great ninja war.** _ **That Naruto**_ **was the one who helped the tailed beasts gain their freedom.** _ **That Naruto**_ **was the one who saved Sasuke from the darkness. The one who never gave up no matter what happened. The one who didn't stop even though did mistakes. The one who always believed in the others and most importantly, himself.** "

"And _that Naruto_ couldn't save Hinata, Kurama."

Silence.

" **I've told you all the thing which that Naruto achieved. But you know why? Because he never found excuses. He succeeded because he didn't believe in excuses and that's what I like about him. Excuses are for losers. If that Naruto was still present, he would still think of ways to save his wife. Because he would never give up on his precious people. He would fight the God of Death himself if he has to. You, on the other hand, are making excuses and whining. I don't like you.** "

"What do you mean you damn fox? I didn't give up on anything."

...

"Hey. I'm talking to you Kurama. Stop ignoring me."

...

'That condescending furball. First, he tries to patronize me and now he ignores me? Who the hell...' his thoughts were interrupted when he bumped into someone walking on the street.

"Watch where you are going." The man with the brown hair yelled as he tried to get back on his feet.

Naruto who was already in a foul mood shot an icy glare towards him. His eyes, a dark shade of cobalt blue. The man outwardly flinched under the gaze. He just grabbed his belongings which were on the road and scurried away.

Naruto just closed his eyes and sighed internally. He noticed the fear in that man's eyes and regretted his actions. He wasn't usually the one to take out his frustration on others. He just leapt on the rooftops and continued on the way to his quarters. He could really use some rest now.

Unknown to him, the white-haired Sannin who secretly followed him for the past 20 minutes kept staring at the direction he went in. 'He's bad news. What was Sensei thinking, allowing this man to roam freely. He looked like he would snap any second back there. I've got to inform him before the situation worsens.' he thought and turned around to walk towards the Hokage tower when he heard a few giggles.

"I'm sure the new baths will be perfect to spend our evening." a woman spoke.

"Of course. I heard they've renovated recently." another replied.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go." The first said.

"You sure are in hurry to get off your clothes, Sumi." a new third voice spoke. A round of giggles erupted as the voices started to fade away.

A pervy grin spread across Jiraiya's face. 'I think it'll be alright if I postpone my meeting with that senile old man. I really need some relaxation after all the spy work I've done today and what better place to relax than the bathhouses. Here I come ladies.' he thought while he tiptoed and started to follow the group of women who just passed by.

* * *

Madara and Zetsu left Kagunshiki's dimension after sealing the One tail inside the Gedo Statue. Sealing process was completed rather quickly. Madara left saying that he and Zetsu would find a new place before hunting the rest of the tailed beasts. But everyone present in there knew that it was just an excuse to get out of that place.

After their departure, Kagunshiki entered his root dimension as he has more control there. The dimension was nothing but a vast expanse of darkness with twinkling objects, similar to stars, everywhere around. Even on the floor. The dimension wasn't static either. It looked like the surroundings were flowing around him, albeit rather slowly. Simply put, the dimension resembled the outer space but in a liquidy, warped state.

"Do you think it's wise to entrust such a task to him, My Lord?" Kinshiki asked. Kinshiki had pale skin with short spiky blue-greyish hair, a full beard, and a long horn above his left eye. He had big hands and a burly physique accompanied with a towering stature that reached over two metres. He wore a pale blue shirt with back cuffs and a high collar over which he wore another darker appendage with a grey sash wrapped around his waist. He also wore grey pants and black, flat shoes on his feet which were upturned at the toes.

"Do not fret, Kinshiki. I didn't entrust him with anything. I'm just letting him do the work on our behalf. How did you think that I'll trust a Human? Especially after what they did." Kagunshiki's voice was low, but filled with barely restrained anger. No. Hatred. Anger wouldn't do justice to what he felt towards the humans.

"I didn't, My Lord. It's just..." Kinshiki gulped a little. He knew what would happen if his master got angry. He couldn't even begin to fathom the repercussions of such an event. Catastrophic would probably be an understatement. Finally finding his voice, he continued. "I and Lord Momoshiki would've done that for you without a question, My Lord. You didn't have to resort to such a drastic measure of having to deal with these humans. Especially him. I don't like how he addresses you, My Lord. You don't deserve such disrespect from lowly creatures like them."

"Momoshiki? That fool would just mess things up and create more problems for me. He would've been killed a long time ago if he wasn't my nephew. He acts like a spoilt little brat and wants to play god. I don't want to deal with either of his arrogance or insolence."

"Then what about him, My lord? Surely, you haven't brought him without a reason."

"Ah. Him. Now he is someone who is useful. To be honest, I brought him but didn't think he was necessary. At least I hoped it would go that way. But since the situation has changed quite a bit, he will have a crucial role to play. Not yet, but soon."

"May I ask a question, My Lord?" The nod was the only thing needed for him to continue." Why go through with such a long and tedious process? I'm sure you can just overwhelm them with your strength and complete the plan within a day. I'm not doubting your methods but I just wanted to know why?"

"You see, Kinshiki," The Otsutsuki clan head stared at the twinkling star-like objects around and spoke. " As much as I hate these humans, there's one thing I can't help but appreciate. Their strong will. If I do as you say, I have no doubt that they will find another way to escape. If I truly intend to wipe them off, then I need to break their will. I have to show everyone that all their hopes and dreams are nothing but lies they tell themselves. Especially those two who managed to travel back in time.

I have to prove to them that there truly is no hope for their future. Only then will they stop resisting and finally give up; And that can only happen when they themselves realise that they are their own worst enemy. No matter what the time, humans seemed bent on destroying each other rather than co-existing. Such a vulgar race is toxic for this whole planet. When they realise that, our true goals are achieved. That is exactly why I chose Madara for this plan.

Madara's actions will show them that no matter what they do or how hard they try, there won't be any peace among humans; And that is when I'll deliver the judgement for all the crimes this heinous race has committed. Because that's what Gods are supposed to do. To maintain the balance and peace among the worlds; And we Otsutsuki have been entrusted this responsibility since the inception of time."

Kinshiki who heard his master's monologue bent one knee and bowed his head. "And I, My Lord, will do everything I can so that you can achieve your dream. I will serve you with pride in this noble cause of yours."

* * *

Eiki was staring at his village through the window pane of his office. Almost 30% of the village got destroyed in the attack. 200 houses were destroyed and more than 300 ninjas died while another 1000 suffered critical injuries. Even he himself broke his leg and had quite a few bruises all over his body. But physical injuries didn't hurt him much.

It was the losses that took place in the afternoon that did. The loss of husbands, fathers, mothers and wives of so many people. The loss of his student's father. The loss of his best friend. He could still see the look on Rasa's face when they found Shintaku's lifeless body, the Kunai still lodged in his heart. The look of shock and denial. The look of hopelessness. What hurt him most was Rasa's response after the boy finally managed to compose himself.

" _He died while fighting to save the village. He died like a hero. A death befitting that of a Shinobi. I'm proud to be his son."_

But he could notice the underlying sorrow behind those words. Those words weren't what he truly felt. He spoke those words as a fellow Shinobi. Not a son. No 14-year-old kid deserved to go through what Rasa went through.

He made a vow to himself then. ' Konoha will suffer for its actions.'

* * *

 **A/N: First of all, thank you for all the support. Now I would take this time to clear a doubt raised by Arch The Ripper. I'm glad you liked this fic and bothered to leave a review. Thanks for that. As for your doubt regarding the ages, I've checked the timeline and ages and did a good amount of research on the ages of all the characters before I started writing this fic and found no deviations from what I mentioned. And about Madara having his eyes. In this timeline, Nagato is around 4-5 years and is yet to receive the Rinnegan. Kagunshiki appears a little before Madara decided to transplant his eyes. We're not sure when and how Nagato received Madara's eyes. Obviously when he was a child but we don't know the age. So he doesn't yet in this fic. And as for pairings, there won't be any pairings for Naruto and Sasuke. But I'm not sure about some other characters.**

 **And one last thing, I welcome both positive and negative reviews. But please don't post the plot of the story in your reviews. If you don't like the way things are proceeding, then you're welcome to stop following my story but please don't ruin this for the other readers.**


	7. Chapter 6

The first rays of the rising sun landed on his face spreading a warm feeling. The corner of his lips tugged up a little when the warmth spread throughout his body. As the minutes passed, the intensity of the sunlight gradually increased from pleasant to disturbing. His eyelids slowly opened to the view of the wooden roof as he woke up from his dreamless slumber. It took a few seconds for his senses to return to normal. He fluttered his eyes and let them adjust to the sunlit room's golden ambience and took a deep breath before exhaling softly.

The first thing he did after that was to turn his head to the right to the face the person who was sleeping next to him. A strange sense of tranquillity entered his mind and the smile on his face grew. But it didn't last long as he noticed how her brows were closer than usual and the strain on her eyes even in sleep. He was worried for a second that she might be having a nightmare of some sort.

That's when he noticed that her face was practically glowing with due to the sunlight. The rays bounced off her porcelain skin and made her look so much more beautiful. She really looked like an angel glowing radiantly at that moment. He would've just watched her like that for any amount of time if it wasn't bothering her. So he carefully turned to face her so that his back shielded her from the morning sun, providing some shade.

Her face visibly relaxed when the light wasn't on her anymore. A peaceful smile appeared on her as she continued to sleep. He brought up his hand to her face and gently tucked the strands of hair which covered her angelic face behind her ear. He then slowly caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, feeling her soft skin.

His gentle touch was enough to wake Hinata from her sleep. Her pearlescent eyes slowly opened to see the smiling face of her husband. She smiled a little, snuggling closer towards Naruto and placing a hand on his chest.

"I'm sorry if woke you up." He whispered, looking at her.

Hinata just buried herself further into Naruto in response by placing an arm around him. Naruto just smiled and embraced her in return before continuing to whisper in a husky voice.

"Where do you want to go today?"

"Nowhere. I just want to stay like this all day." Hinata replied, her voice a little raspy. Her eyes were closed and she had a content smile on her face.

"You want to stay cooped up like this in bed all day?" Naruto asked, a confused look on his face.

Hinata just lifted her head to stare at her husband with a mock glare. Naruto just laughed heartily in return. He composed himself when the mock glare threatened to turn into a real one.

"Alright, alright. I was just kidding, Hinata."

Hinata's glare vanished and was replaced with a proud smile. Like she just achieved something of great value.

"Geez. What happened to my shy princess who blushed everytime I even looked at her?" Naruto thought out loud, tapping his chin with his fingers.

"I left her at the altar after we got married." She said, turning over and lying on her back, facing the ceiling.

"Is that so?"

"Mmm-hmmm." She nodded.

"How about now?" he said and was immediately on top, his face inches away from her's. Her skin turned into a deep shade of crimson in a matter of a few seconds as she brought her hands up to cover her squeal. The smirk on Naruto's face grew with each shade of red. "She's fast. Didn't take her long to travel from the altar to here."

She playfully hit him on the chest while still blushing beet red. Naruto just caught a hold of her wrist and placed it over her head on the pillow. That's when it hit them. Their body temperatures started to rise. Their breathing became deeper. Even Naruto's cheeks were starting to turn pink.

He bent down, his lips against her cheek, brushing it lightly, and still, that light touch sent shivers through her nerves, shivers that made her whole body tremble. "If you want me to stop, tell me now," he whispered. When she still said nothing, he brushed his mouth against the hollow of her temple. "Or now." He traced the line of her cheekbone. "Or now." His lips were against hers."Or..."

But she had reached up and pulled him down to her, and the rest of his words were lost against her mouth. He kissed her gently, carefully, but it wasn't gentleness she wanted, not now, not after all this time, and she knotted her fists in his shirt, pulling him harder against her. He groaned softly, low in his throat, and then his arms circled her, gathering her against him, and they rolled over on the bed, tangled together, still kissing.

After an intense make-out session, the newlyweds finally parted their lips. Their breathing was still erratic but there was no blush on their faces. Just smiles. Naruto cupped her cheeks with hands while placing one last peck on her lips.

"I love you, Naruto." She whispered.

"I love you too, Hinata." He did the same.

Everything seemed so perfect and surreal for Naruto. Like this moment was straight out of one his fantasies. He wanted to live in this moment for the rest of life. Nothing else. Just him and her.

That's when things around them started to change. The sunlit room was no more. The morning sun was replaced with a dark night sky. The chirping of birds with cries of people. The quaint hills in which they were supposed to spend their honeymoon turned to the Hokage monument covered by dancing flames.

He turned back to look at Hinata who was smiling at him. Like everything around him wasn't affecting her in any way. She looked as if nothing is going on around her. "I love you, Naruto." she whispered again.

His heartbeat began to rise. Thousands of things were starting to run through his mind. 'Am I caught in a genjutsu or something?'. he immediately tried to dispell but it was of no use. The surrounding didn't change at all. They just kept getting worse.

His heart skipped a beat when he didn't feel anything against his palms. He was sure he was holding Hinata just a second ago. And true to his suspicions, she wasn't there. She was at least a fifty meters in front of him, kneeling down on her knees. And opposite her was Kagunshiki. His hand raised up, palm facing her.

A grey rod started to protrude out of Kagunshiki's palm. He knew what was going to happen next. And he wasn't planning on letting that happen. He tried to run towards her to save her. Tried. A sinking feeling started to form in the pit of his stomach when he couldn't move his legs. Like he was frozen.

The rod started heading towards Hinata as he watched. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion around him the only exception being him. It's like he wasn't even present in this world and he was just there witness what was happening and do nothing about it. The time was moving agonizingly slow as he did nothing but watch. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move anything in his body. He couldn't even close his eyes. When the Ash bone finally pierced Hinata's stomach, he finally found his voice.

"NOOOOO!" he screamed as he sat upright on his bed. He was sweating heavily even without any sheets on him. He looked around to find himself in a familiar room. His quarters provided by Hiruzen for his stay. He just closed his eyes and took a breath before burying his face in his hands.

'It was a dream. All of it was just a dream. A freaking dream!' he thought while he smashed the night lamp beside him out of frustration. 'Where the hell is Sasuke?'

* * *

"This is a troubling news." His reply was accompanied by a release of a puff of smoke.

"You don't say, sensei." She almost hissed. "And I'm a 100% sure that this is related to those two. I already told you it wasn't a wise choice to aide them. Look what happened now." Her irate reply didn't help his situation at all.

"Calm down, Tsunade. We can't jump to conclusions without proper evidence." Hiruzen said in an effort to make his student stop nagging him for a while so he could think.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?! We are on the verge of another great ninja war. Suna and Kumo think we attacked their village and stole their Tailed beasts and killed Kiri's three tail Jhinchuriki. It won't be long before Iwa joins them and attack us." She banged the wall with a backhanded slam opening cracks on it.

"The Kazekage seems pretty convinced it's us while Kumo and Kiri are still investigating the incident but they too doubt our involvement. And you know how the Raikage is, sensei. He's as ruthless and militaristic as anyone can get. He will definitely use this opportunity to gain more strength while weakening us. And as Tsunade mentioned, Iwa will try to take advantage of this situation as well." Jiraiya said, leaning against the wall with one leg up, opposite to Tsunade.

"I know that, Jiraiya. That's why I'm trying to think how to diffuse this situation. We have to prove that those attacks had no involvement of us. We can't go to war again. Not this soon." Hiruzen replied as his frown continued to deepen.

As Tsunade was about to shot back at the Hokage, an ANBU materialised in the Hokage's office out of nowhere which took the previous three occupants by surprise. Hiruzen immediately recognized who it was by the mask. He gave a nod before turning towards Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya, why don't you and Tsunade think of a way to avoid conflict in that issue. I'll do the same after I deal with the village responsibilities. We'll meet again in the evening and proceed further along with Sakumo."

"You can't throw us out!" Tsunade yelled.

"I'm not throwing you out, Tsunade. I have things to do apart from sitting in this office all day. That's why I'm trusting you both to come up with something solid while I'm busy. Meet Sakumo and explain to him the situation. I'm sure the three of you could think of one solution at least. You both are dismissed for now."

Tsunade was fuming while Jiraiya gave a suspicious look at his sensei before talking. "Are you sure? Because the other things can wait, you know. This issue concerns with the safety of the whole village."

"That's an order." Hiruzen replied with a more commanding voice. Both the Sannin looked at each other before reluctantly walking out of the room.

"You came back at the right time, Sasuke. I have a few things I need to talk to you with."

"Is it about the attack on Suna and the missing tailed beast?" Sasuke spoke removing his mask.

"So you've heard about it then. Hmmm. Yes. What do you know about it?"

"Except the fact that Suna was attacked and its tailed beast was stolen, nothing else. I heard some merchants talking about it near the border of Land of Fire and Land of Wind 2 days ago. I decided to stop the search for now and come back."

"Well, there's a lot you don't know then. For starters, it wasn't only Suna. Kumo's Two tails and Kiri's three tails have also been missing after being infiltrated. Though those two villages haven't suffered as bad as Suna, there were significant damages to both property and life. And they think that Konoha is behind those attacks."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed when he heard the last part." And why is that?"

"Because according to reports that Jiraiya was able to gather through his spy network, the Kazekage is convinced it's us and ready to go to war. Kumo and Kiri doubt us too."

"Again, why us?" Sasuke asked, stressing his words hard this time.

"Apparently, it was one man who attacked and wrecked Suna. According to the reports, the man had a Sharingan."

"The Sharingan is possessed only by the Uchihas who belong to the leaf village." Sasuke spoke, connecting the dots in his head.

"Yes. But here's the disturbing part. The man was able to produce a huge blue humanoid structure with swords made out of pure chakra. I've never seen one but I'm assuming it to be the Susanoo."

This time, Sasuke's eyes widened. This piece of information had huge revelations to it. It was conclusive evidence for one thing but it didn't make sense at the same time.

Sensing Sasuke's hesitation, Hiruzen continued. "Isn't the Susanoo an ability of Mangekyou Sharingan? I can't think of anyone who has the Mangekyou in this village right now, except you."

"Are you implying it was me, Hokage?" Sasuke asked with a stoic face.

"I'm not doubting you Sasuke. But except you and Madara Uchiha, there isn't anyone else who is capable of doing what had happened. And to think Madara Uchiha did that at his age would be an absurd thought."

"Maybe not. I agree with you on one point. Only we both have the ability to use Susanoo now. That's why I know for sure that it was him who attacked Suna and the other villages. He also took the tailed beasts. That has to be him. He's made his move already."

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"Just try and find him before he finishes capturing the remaining ones."

"But how? It took you almost 3 weeks to search the land of fire alone. And he's already captured 3 tailed beasts."

"That's where I come in." A new voice spoke.

Hiruzen turned his head to the side to see Naruto sitting on the open window sill. Sasuke just smirked without even turning his head.

"Took you long enough." Sasuke said.

"I could say the same thing about you." Naruto replied as he entered the office and started walking towards the Uchiha. "I see you're having trouble finding an old geezer."

Sasuke could sense the hesitation in Naruto's voice even though the latter tried to cover it up as much as possible. His words were supposed to be a jab at him but didn't sound like they were supposed.

"Sage mode, huh? That's a great idea, but there's a problem with that." Sasuke words put a frown on Naruto's face.

"And what's that?" The blonde asked.

"If you leave the village, then who will be beside your mother? She's the nine tails Jhinchuriki, isn't she? Madara is bound to attack the village sooner rather than later. And his grudge against the village will only prevent him from holding back. I need you to be in the village, Naruto. That's one of the reasons why I didn't object when you were assigned a team."

"But still.."

"Trust me, Naruto. As much as I would like a helping hand to finish this quickly, we can't be careless either. One small slip up and everything could go wrong. You know that better than anyone else. We don't want to repeat the same mistake twice, do we?" Sasuke cut off Naruto.

Naruto tightened his fists out of frustration but he had to agree that Sasuke had a point. 'Only If I could do both at the same time.' he thought. An idea struck him after a few seconds. 'Both at the same time.' he repeated his thought.

"What if I can do the both of them at the same time?"

"What do you mean by that?" Hiruzen asked, his face a mix of both curiosity and anxiety. Sasuke knew whatever idea Naruto got would be a risky one. But he also knew that the blonde's ideas, which sound ridiculous, tend to work out. So he too was wanting to hear it out.

* * *

Tsunade was tapping her feet furiously just outside the gate of the Hokage tower. Her nail biting and the irate look on the face was a warning for anyone not to approach her now.

"Tsunade. Don't get too worked up about this." Jiraiya said, rather frightfully, afraid of what might happen if she loses her cool. She gained her reputation not only was the best medic but also the person with the worst temper.

"How can I not? He threw us out!"

"He didn't throw us out. You heard what he said. We are supposed to come up with a plan along with Sakumo."

"Oh please. Don't tell me you bought that bullshit. He just didn't want us around him. Or the other one."

"But that doesn't mean we should not come up with something. Whatever his intentions may have been, he's always thinking about the problems of this village. So, I suggest we get on to it." Jiraiya shot back, his voice dangerously low and serious.

That tone might have convinced Tsunade to back down any other day. But she already had enough of this. She was bent on clearing things up for once and all. "We will. After we're done here."

Jiraiya just groaned internally. He always liked Tsunade for her stubbornness. He admired her in a way for having such a strong will. Though he wished it disappeared for a few moments now. But luck didn't seem to favour him at all. He heard footsteps approaching and turned around to look at Naruto and Sasuke walking towards him and Tsunade.

He threw a glance towards his teammate and saw determination and fury, though not malicious in nature, still dangerous.

Naruto and Sasuke noticed the two of the Sannin waiting at the gate while walking out into the village. They knew that the other two were waiting for them to get answers. So they just continued to walk past them without even sparing a glance. They had to work to do and they were more determined than ever to be done with it.

Especially Naruto. After today's nightmare, he looked completely grim. Just like on the day he arrived back in the past. Whatever cheerfulness and life he gained in the past couple of weeks vanished. It was clearly evident in his eyes and Sasuke didn't miss it. He understood his teammate's situation and agreed to the idea though it was a little risky. And the last thing he needed was someone trying to interfere while Naruto is not in a good mood.

Tsunade just turned on heel caught Naruto's arm when he and Sasuke walked past her. "You're not leaving this place until I get some answers." she almost hissed. But she withdrew her hand immediately when Naruto threw a cold glare.

A chill ran down her spine just by looking at his blue eyes. 'His eyes... They are filled with hatred and disgust. Not against me but...' she came out of her thoughts when he broke eye contact with her. He turned to face Jiraiya.

"Explain her to mind her own business and let us do the same. I'm trusting you can do that." 'Pervy sage'. The nickname wasn't said out loud but the others were.

Naruto started to walk away from them without waiting for a response. Sasuke just observed the exchange quietly before following Naruto.

* * *

A foundation member in a wolf mask appeared in front of Danzo who was sipping on some hot tea in his chambers. Danzo was a very busy person. He micromanages everything in the foundation himself from overviewing the training of the new recruits to handling confidential files. He barely has any time to sleep at night.

The only time he has to himself during the day was the 15 minutes he allowed himself to have tea and think things over. And everyone in the foundation knows better than to interrupt him during that. If someone really had the courage to do that, then it means something important. If it wasn't S rank or higher, consider the member an unlucky fellow.

But Wolf wasn't some random foundation member. He was the most trusted one by Danzo. Wolf knew Danzo like none other. So him interrupting during this time was surprising even to Danzo himself, though he did it well to hide it behind a stern face.

"Lord Danzo, I have a crucial piece of information regarding the Jhinchurikis, sir." Wolf said, kneeling on one knee, head bent down in respect.

This piqued Danzo's interest. When the Jhinchuriki's started to get captured, he made sure to keep an eye on the remaining ones before whoever is doing that comes knocking on Konoha's doors. "What is it?" he asked, jumping onto the latest development, casting his teacup aside.

"The Jhinchuriki of Kumo's eight tails, Blue, along with a team of 5 other Jonin level Shinobi have been spotted near our outpost at border sir. Their motives remain unclear as of now sir. But they haven't shown any hostile intentions."

"The outpost near Kumo border, eh? Hmmm. Do we have any team on standby in the frost country?"

"No, sir. But the squad present in the ruins of Uzushio can reach the frost country in a day."

Danzo went silent for a while. He was thinking of the best possible way to deal with the situation. 'This is a very good chance to hurt the Kumo's rising military power. But pulling out the Uzushio team on a less than 20% success probability mission?' he thought, weighing out his priorities. Just when he was about to say his decision, another ANBU in a bear mask appeared before him.

"Lord Danzo. I carry reports from the Hokage's office, sir."

Danzo controlled his urge to roll his eyes. "It can wait, Kuma. So should you." he said.

"The black haired ninja who was placed directly under the Hokage's command has returned, sir. He, the blonde one and the Hokage had a meeting in the morning."

This new piece of information was even more interesting for Danzo. But it didn't stay that way for long as he realised something when he thought of Sasuke's return. 'If he returned in the morning, then why hasn't Neko's team reported to me yet?'

"Ookami. Did Neko's team report to the HQ yet?" Danzo asked Wolf.

"No sir. They haven't returned yet."

'There's only one explanation for this. He found out about them. But he couldn't have killed them if Hiruzen had any influence on him.' he thought. But he remembered the look in Sasuke's eyes when he saw him. It was pure hatred. 'If he does hate me that much, then I don't think killing them would be a difficult task. He obviously has the skill for it.'

"Is that all?" he asked, coming out of his thoughts.

"The blonde's team is set to leave the village tomorrow, sir."

"Regarding?"

"A C-rank mission sir. They are to carry supplies and new orders for the outpost near Kumo and Frost country's border."

"That's the same outpost where the eight tails Jhinchuriki is present. Sir, we can't allow this mission to take place. His team has a Hyuga from the main family. The Kumo has been trying to get their hands on Byakugan for a long time. If they spot her near the border, they will definitely try and take her. We can't let that team go forward with this mission." Wolf said.

"And that is exactly why that team is perfect for the mission. Don't you see it? This is the perfect chance to kill the eight tails Jhinchuriki. When team 7 visits the outpost to carry out their mission, the Jhinchuriki and the team will attack them, trying to obtain the Byakugan. And when that happens, we launch a surprise counterattack from the shadows and finish our mission. The Byakugan is the perfect bait and Team 7 are the perfect ones for this." Danzo said, pleased by the plan he managed to formulate.

"Wolf, I need you personally leading this mission. Take whomever you want to the frost country. Also, send word to the squad in Uzushio ruins to rendezvous with you. I think it's enough members to carry out this mission."

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed, both of you."

Both Wolf and Bear disappeared the next instant. Danzo returned back to sipping his tea with a smug smile plastered on his face.

* * *

"Really?" Kushina squealed in excitement.

"We need to go to the border between frost country and Kumo where we need to deliver supplies and new orders to the outpost. It's a long mission and will probably take around 4 days to reach there. So pack accordingly." Naruto said, explaining the mission parameters.

"Woohoo. Finally, a real mission where we can go out of the village." Kushina yelled, punching the air.

"But sensei, why is our outpost present in the frost country?" Hanaku asked.

"The frost is an ally of ours. Usually, another country's shinobi aren't allowed to be stationed but our alliance with frost is a little different. Kumo is a very militaristic village and tried to take over the frost country. So the frost agreed to station Konoha ninjas on their land so that we can keep a watch on their movements. The outpost also has a hawk messenger service for faster relaying of important information." Minato answered.

"Show off." Kushina mumbled.

"So we'll meet at the main gate tomorrow morning. 8 'o' clock sharp." Naruto said before bursting out with a poof.

'A shadow clone again?' The three genin thought with a sweatdrop.

"Did you guys notice something?" Minato asked, with a curious look on his face.

"Like what?" Hanaku piped in while Kushina chose not to respond to that.

"Sensei didn't answer any of our questions. He just told us the details and left. He never did that before. Even earlier today, he just left us without a word. Don't you think that's odd?"

"Did we do anything to make him upset?" Hanaku was starting to get worried now.

"Who cares? And besides, I think you guys are reading too much into this. Maybe he's just busy or wants to slack off for today. Let's just go. It's getting dark already. We have a real mission tomorrow." Kushina said before walking towards her home.

Minato and Hanaku looked at each other before shrugging their shoulders and leaving with a goodbye.

* * *

"So Danzo is up to his tricks, huh?"

"As expected."

"Hmmm. So what did you do with them?" Naruto asked, his hands folded, sitting on the edge of the balcony railing facing the open door to their common room.

The night sky was glowing with the moonlight, making the stars around it fade into the darkness. The lights in the surrounding houses started to turn off one by one a while ago. The hooting of the owls was the only audible sound in the otherwise silent and gentle hours of shadows.

"I took care of them. Made sure Danzo won't find them ever. Like I already said in front of the third." Sasuke said, holding onto the railing and facing the opposite direction. Sasuke knew exactly where this conversation is heading to and decided to go along with it. It might bring out an opportune moment to discuss the issue he noticed.

"What do you mean by that exactly?" The blonde's eyes narrowed.

"I didn't kill them if that's what you're asking." Sasuke replied, trying hard not to roll his eyes.

"So what did you do if you didn't kill them?" Naruto continued, the suspicion still present. He saw his fair share of people twisting words while being ambiguous just like how Sasuke was now speaking. Although he did suspect Sasuke wasn't blatantly lying. As far as he knew, the Uchiha never actually lied to him or anybody for that matter. He was always straightforward, spitting the truth out with any hesitation, not caring what kind of repercussions they may have.

He was concerned about Sasuke's history towards situations like these. He knew Sasuke never hesitated from killing, he had a first-hand experience with that. Although he believes his friend has changed after the war, he also knew that old habits are hard to lose. So he would push on until he was sure about the whole dilemma.

Sighing and giving into Naruto's persistence Sasuke spoke. "I used a Genjutsu to make them block their memories. When they wake up, they should have no idea about their pasts or even their names."

"And why did you do that?" This time, Naruto's question was filled with curiosity rather than doubt or suspicion.

"Look, I know it's wrong to kill those guys. They were just following orders. I know how the foundation works. So I erased their memories so that they can start a new life. It's up to them how they live this time around." Sasuke said.

'He's gotten softer these days.' he thought with a smile. "Starting to understand others before acting, are you? It's nice seeing you like this."

'I've got you now.' Sasuke thought before speaking. "I wish the feelings were mutual," he said, with his usually stoic face and passive voice.

"What do you mean?" Naruto's eyebrow quirked up to that statement.

"Exactly what I said. I'm quite disappointed with you, to be honest."

"Why is that?" The blonde had a mix of confusion and an underlying doubt in the back of his mind. He had no idea why but was sure that Sasuke was waiting to say that. That statement was intentionally provocating.

"Because you're turning into a hypocrite, dobe. The only thing I hate more than betrayal in this world is Hypocrisy." There was a hint of detestation and repugnance in Sasuke's words.

The choice of words and the way they were said felt like a slap in the face to the blonde. It took him a while to form a coherent thought and he didn't hold back from saying it out loud. "Why?" He was confused. He felt like he should be feeling angry for being accused as a hypocrite, but he wasn't and he didn't know why.

"Why I hate hypocrites?" Sasuke replied calmly, the underlying sarcasm implied while not taking the seriousness away. His plan was working well and this was the time to put the final nail in the coffin.

That reply was enough to push Naruto over the edge. He was irate and confused and the last thing he needed was an insult to the injury. He grabbed Sasuke's shirt collar looked straight into his eyes. "Just say what you want to and be done with it, bastard. Don't beat around the bush." his voice dangerously low.

Sasuke smirked internally. His plan has worked perfectly well. Now it was time to move on to the next step. He grabbed Naruto's wrists and freed himself from the blonde's grasp, maintaining the eye contact all the while. "You wanna know why I called you a hypocrite? Because you're acting like one. You say you're happy seeing me understand people while you yourself aren't doing that. As far as I'm concerned, that's hypocrisy."

Naruto took an involuntary step back, bringing his hands back their resting position. He had a stupefied look in his face. The realisation was sinking, no, seeping into him slowly. He knew exactly what Sasuke was talking about and he wasn't ready to deal with it. Not now. Not today.

Sasuke guessed what Naruto was going through. He himself had such moments a few years ago. He felt bad for making the blonde feel like that but knew he couldn't stop now. Not after coming this far along. And the longer he stays this way, the harder it's going to get for them return back to the normalcy.

"Remember when we met at the bridge after the five kage summit?

You told me that you understand how I feel because you too felt the pain of losing a loved one. That loved one was Jiraiya. And yet, today you ignored him completely like he was no one."

"So tell me this, Naruto. Did you lie when you said that about feeling the same pain as I did 4 years ago? Doesn't Jiraiya mean anything to you? Because I wouldn't have behaved like you did if there was Itachi or my parents instead of him. You either lied to me that day or you're lying to yourself today. So which one is it?"

Silence reigned between the two for a moment before Naruto broke it. "You don't know what you're talking about, Sasuke," he said, dropping the eye contact. His voice was low, without any energy. He sounded weary and he looked even worse.

"I know what I'm talking about. It's you who is deluded, acting unlike yourself, trying so hard not to be yourself. Why do this? To yourself and everyone around you?"

"Because... No matter who they are, no one believes us. No one trusts us. We are on our own in this battle of ours."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke said, genuinely confused and not expecting to hear something like that.

 **Flashback: 2 weeks ago**

 _"Make sure you take out all the weeds and plastic bags too. I want this done by noon."_

 _Naruto could swear Kushina mumble 'stupid blonde' when he gave his team the instructions to clean the stream while he rested under a tree shade. His eyes closed barely for a second before recognizing a familiar chakra signature._

 _ **"Naruto. This chakra is..."**_

 _"Pervy Sage!" Naruto completed Kurama's sentence. His now wide eyes were shining with excitement. He snapped his head in the direction where he sensed to see two white-haired shinobi making their way towards him._

 _'Kakashi sensei's dad too.' he thought. But all his attention was on the toad summoner. He was wearing a white Kimono with a green hem and a mesh t-shirt underneath. Jiraiya had a calculating look on his face while Sakumo had a much warier one._

 _He got up from the ground and started walking towards them while trying to hide his excitement. "What brought two of the strongest ninjas in Konoha here?" he asked, sounding more chirpier than he wanted to._

 _"So you know us. Interesting." Jiraiya spoke._

 _"Powerful shinobi attract attention easily and who hasn't heard of Jiraiya of the Sannin or the White Fang of Konoha."_

 _"Heard there is someone who is capable of challenging us for that position. So I wanted to personally meet him." Jiraiya replied, with a smirk._

 _"Are you sure you're in the right place then?" The blonde said, scratching the back of his head._

 _"You tell me. After all, your friend was the one who said you two could take down the whole village without much trouble. Sakumo here heard it himself." Jiraiya said while pointing a thumb towards the elder Hatake. "So I got interested in knowing that person." he finished by folding his hands and looking expectantly at him._

 _"Ohhhh. I'm sure it's just a Joke. He has a bad sense of humour." Naruto replied, laughing it off._

 _"Cut the bullshit." These words brought Naruto to a halt. Jiraiya's words were as cold as his gaze. "I don't know what you two intend to do. But if they are anywhere near bad, I promise that I'll take you down myself, even the cost of my own life. The only reason why you both are still alive is because sensei trust you both._

 _Naruto felt a someone ripped his out heart at the moment. It wasn't the words but the person behind them that hurt him. The very person who he travelled alongside for 3 years. The very person who taught him about being a ninja. The very person whom he considered as family. It was too overwhelming for him._

 _He stayed quiet and didn't speak a word. He couldn't. Though he understood that Jiraiya reaction was to some extent justified, it still hurt him. His throat felt dry when he successfully stopped his tears._

 _"I...We... don't have any...such intentions. We just want to help protect the village."_

 _Jiraiya just smirked and turned around. "This is a world where even shinobi of this village may betray us. You're really expecting us to believe that you, an outsider, wants to help us? No, thanks." he said while walking away._

 **Flashback end.**

"I don't hate him or anything for saying that. Quite the opposite actually. It reminded me that we here for a purpose. A purpose where we can't afford to slack off." Naruto said, tears threatening fall.

"We are in a place and time where we don't belong, Sasuke. All of this around us, it's all a lie we are living for the sake of a true future. The people here are nothing but a mere shadow of the real bonds we had with them in the original timeline. We are alien and extraneous for them. We are on our own this time."

"Our strength now lies in the memory of the people who sacrificed themselves for us so that we can rise above this situation.

So, I'm not a hypocrite. I'm just getting my priorities straight."

"When did you start prioritising mission before people?" Sasuke shot back with a subtle touch.

"Good night, Sasuke." Naruto said and exited the balcony and went to his room.

* * *

 **2 days later**

It was a chilly evening in Hoshima, a town in Kumo near the border. The heavy downpour of rain has completely drenched the small market district. So it didn't look suspicious when 2 men covered from head to toe in grey robes entered the only bar in the town. It was a shinobi bar by the looks of it, cloud shinobi of various ranks all over the place. Some of them to have a few drinks and let off the steam while others just for a roof over their head to stay dry.

The 2 men, who looked like merchants scoped around the bar and finally a table to sit at. One of them sat down carefully and his body posture suggested that he was nervous while the other was far too carefree for his own good.

The nervous person stood 5'11" with brown hair and hazel eyes with fair skin. He was of average build and carried a sling bag. The carefree one was a short and stout man with a patchy black beard and hair with dark brown eyes. The stout one immediately called for a waiter and order a handful of drinks while his companion sat without a word opting for a hot soup instead.

"Do we really have to be here? I mean, can't we take our business somewhere else? We did make a fair profit in the frost country." Spoke the guy with brown hair.

"Relax, Gozaru. Everything will be just fine. This is the perfect opportunity for us to make some huge profits. Our products have a huge demand in Kumo." The stout one replied.

"Yes but, this is Kumo. We never had a good relationship with this country. I think it's kinda risky, Shoku. We should've stayed in the frost country." The now identified Gozaru said. The drinks have arrived just as he finished his sentence.

"This is the time for peace, man. Besides, the Kumo ninja can't force or attack us publicly. They'll lose business if they do. They can't portray a bad image of themselves in a marketplace." Shoku replied, chugging down his drink in one swoop.

"But what if they try something outside the market?"

"We have our Konoha ninjas stationed at the border for the very purpose of handling situations like these."

"But they can't see us from such a distance, you fool! And they are all just chunin. We've seen them how to work." Gozaru almost yelled.

"They can. Now calm down before you make a scene and attract all the attention towards us." Shoku hissed.

Gozaru looked around to find a few groups of ninjas staring at him. He composed himself and started whispering loud enough to be heard. "But how?"

"I heard that a team of Jonin is coming there in a couple of days. The outpost guard himself told me this. And one of them has a Byakugan. You know, the eye that can see through things and see far distances. I'm sure they'll keep an eye on this town since it's so close and a lot of people come here. So relax and let's make some money."

Gozaru had a horror-stricken face. "Are you an imbecile? There at least a hundred cloud ninjas here. What difference can a team of Jonin make? I'm not going to be a part of this stupidity. I can earn more money by being alive." he hissed before getting up and walking out of the bar.

"Hey! Gozaru, wait!" Shoku yelled while followed him out of the bar.

A group of five cloud ninja who were sitting just behind the two merchants overheard the conversation. "It's about time we gained the power of Byakugan." said the one in the middle. He had long bi-colour hair, half green half white with matching eyebrows along with heavy-lidded eyes that give him the appearance of being very tired. He had a purple mark in the shape of a diamond down the right side of his face. He wore the standard attire of the Kumogakure shinobi including a flak jacket, over a long-sleeved v-neck outfit with bandages underneath and carried a fairly long sword strapped to his back.

"Send a word to Ay and lord Raikage that we'll be conducting an operation to gain the Byakugan." Blue B said.

"Yes sir." said the Jonin on the corner of the table and disappeared.

With an understanding nod, the others along with Blue vanished too. Unknown to them, Gozaru and Shoku were watching them from far away. When they both were sure that their targets left, they dropped the transformation to reveal themselves to be foundation ANBU members.

"Looks like captain Wolf's plan worked." Said the one in rat mask.

"Let's go and report this. I'm sure the preparations for the ambush have already started near the outpost." Said the other one with the cat mask. They both nodded to each other before disappearing via Shunshin.

* * *

 **The next day**

It was a cold night that day with the winds howling all around. The temperatures constantly kept dropping as Team 7 started their journey towards the frost country outpost. The frost country is basically a huge plateau more than 4500 meters above sea level. The country is mostly barren with the exceptions of their capital and the forests along the border which they share with Kumo.

Even though Team 7 expected a cold reception, they weren't prepared to be caught up in a blizzard in the middle of nowhere. They would've been frozen to death if it wasn't for Naruto using an earth style jutsu to create a cave-like structure for them to stay. The only sound that could be heard other than the howling wind was the crisp noised produced by the burning campfire inside the cave. That was until Minato broke it.

"So Naruto sensei is an Earth style user. Not a common sight in Konoha. The only other shinobi I know who can use earth style in Konoha are Lord Hokage and Jiraiya of the Sannin." he said. Kushina and Hanaku turned their attention towards him from the fire.

"We can't say for sure. Jonins usually can use 2 or 3 chakra natures. We saw him use earth style during our test too." Hanaku said, shivering slightly.

"Yes. But with this much efficiency? Look at the structure." he said while he himself lifted his head up to re-examine the dome of rock which the three genin cosied themselves for the night. "The blizzard has no effect on it. Usually, the blizzards in frost country are capable of uprooting trees and grounding few houses too. For a secondary or tertiary earth style user to make this is almost impossible. Except if he's a Kage level shinobi."

A moment of silence followed Minato's words.

"I hate to say this, but Minato might be right. There's no way that stupid sensei is Kage level. I'll beat him in no time. Just you watch." Kushina said, rubbing her arms vigorously. She cursed herself for not thinking through when wearing her usual half sleeved pale yellow Kimono.

Minato slipped out of his jacket and held it towards Kushina. "Here, wear this. You'll feel better." he said, with a smile on his face.

"I don't want it. I'm fine." the redhead replied, moving a little closer to the fire.

"Kushina! Don't be so stubborn and take the jacket. You don't want to catch a cold on a mission." Hanaku said, in a soft yet commanding tone. The redhead reluctantly agreed to Hanaku's reasoning and snatched the white jacket from the blonde's hands. The effect was instantaneous as her shivering died down as soon as the jacket was on.

She inhaled deeply with her eyes closed only to smell a mildly musky scent. It felt like the scent of earth and wood after a rain. It felt like she was in a natural tropical waterfall. She was bought out of her musings when she heard Hanaku speak.

"Minato, will you be alright? It's really cold in spite of fire and the cave."

Kushina's thoughts drifted to Minato now. 'Why does he always act so nice? Is it just an act or is he nice for real? Could I be wrong and misunderstood him as I did with sensei? Does he care for me?'

"Yeah. I have another one." he said and turned towards his bag to take out another similar white jacket. "What shall we do with the leftovers? Do we pack it and carry it for tomorrow?"

"Eeewwww. Who does that?" Kushina said.

"Errmm...I know it's unhygienic but what if we can't find any food before we make it to the outpost?" Minato replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'll ask sensei if he wants some. I'm not sure if he has eaten anything." Hanaku spoke before grabbing what's left of the cooked serow meat and walking towards the Cave in which Naruto was present.

Naruto was in a separate cave holding a lilac crystal butterfly pendant in his palm and staring at it.

 **Flashback**

 _"- and then, granny Tsunade beat him to a pulp. I think pervy sage deserved that one, though the old hag could've held back a little. What do you Hina-" Naruto turned his head to side only to find Hinata missing beside him._

 _"Hinata?" he started to look around, trying to find her, desperately hoping he was somewhere nearby. His heartbeat started to rise along with the panic in his mind. He was about to create a shadow and use sage mode to search for her chakra signature when he saw her a few meters away, coming out from a shop._

 _"Where did you go? Are you alright?" Naruto asked, a little relieved to see her but still worried about the whole situation._

 _"S-sorry Naruto. I just s-saw something in that shop and w-wanted that so I went in. Sorry if I worried you." Hinata replied, staring at the ground with a hint of guilt in her voice._

 _"No. No need to be sorry about that. I was thinking that you left because you didn't like our first date or something."_

 _"No! I loved spending time with you. It was great." she replied, bringing her head up, her eyes wide open. Hinata's reply was immediate and defensive. But it was too late when he realised what she said. A strong blush started to creep up her face. She faced the ground again and handed Naruto a small bag. "I just wanted to give you this."_

 _Naruto with a confused look on his face took the bag from her and looked into it. He put his hand to take out a Lilac crystal butterfly pendant with a silver chain. The crystal pendant shined brightly against the sunlight._

 _"Wow. This...is beautiful. Thanks." Naruto mumbled incoherently._

 _"I'm glad that you like it." She replied softly, her blush getting deeper._

 _"You know you didn't have to give me this, -ttebayo."_

 _"I-I wanted y-you to have i-it. I-It's a reminder t-that I'll always l-love you." She said and turned around in embarrassment._

 **Flashback end**

'Me too, Hinata. Me too.' Naruto thought, smiling sadly. A lonely tear threatened to spill out of his eye. He immediately clutched the pendant harder and hid it inside his fist when he heard some footsteps approaching.

When he saw that it was Hanaku who approached her, he couldn't help but notice her eyes. 'Those eyes. They...they're like a painful reminder. They're mocking ...mocking my inability. Goddammit.' The thoughts wouldn't just stop. He turned around, unable to bear the burden of facing her.

"What is it?" He asked, his voice subconsciously going louder than usual.

"Uh...We had some food left. Thought you'd want some since you didn't seem to eat all day." Hanaku spoke, rather hesitantly after seeing her sensei's reaction after he came.

"Just put it over there. Thanks."

She did as told. She gently placed the wrapped meat in a corner and turned around to leave. She stopped at the exit after a couple of steps before turning around. "Sensei? Can I ask you something?"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. It's already late today."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Go to sleep, Hanaku." Naruto replied, taking a deep breath and controlling his growing frustration.

"You're not even looking at me. Why won't you? You have been avoiding all of us for the past few days. Why? You weren't like this before. What did-"

"Why can't you just leave me alone, dammit?" Hanaku flinched at hearing those words. He regretted saying that immediately after they left his mouth. He cursed himself for getting carried away. He turned around and saw her leave the cave without a sound.

'Dammit.'

" **You can't let this go on, Naruto. This is bad for everyone including yourself.** "

"I know Kurama. I know. And it won't. I'll find Madara soon and put an end to this. That I promise."

' **I wasn't talking about that...Naruto.** ' Kurama thought as he went back deep into the mind space.

The next morning was a quiet affair with team 7 resuming their journey towards the outpost. No one spoke a single word and the tension between the group was so thick, a knife wouldn't have been enough to cut it.

They reached the outpost at last on the afternoon of the fourth day. The outpost was a 5-floor solid concrete tower in the middle of a patch of thick forest. A chunin was present to receive them and lead them to the captain of the patrol squad.

"Here are the new orders that the Hokage gave you." Naruto said to the Jonin in charge while handing over a scroll with the Hokage's seal. The Jonin, who was the captain was a fair man with brown hair covered by a bandana and black eyes. He was an inch shorter than Naruto but was more sturdily built. He carefully removed the seal and read the contents of the scroll before closing it and giving a nod.

Naruto retrieved another scroll, this one a little bigger than the previous and handed it over. "These are supplies that you've requested."

"Thank you. Lunch is ready. So you guys can join us if you want." The captain said.

"Sure. Thanks." Naruto replied. As Jonin was about to turn back, he spoke again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes. Sure."

"Can my team camp here for the night? They are tired from the journey."

"Of course. Feel free to use the cabin over there if you want." he replied while pointing the direction.

Team 7 did just that. They had lunch and headed over to the cabin and arranged their bags in a corner before resting for a while. And before they knew it, everyone was asleep. Everyone except Naruto.

Naruto after making sure that his team was asleep, came out and started his secondary mission and the primary purpose. He sat down in a meditative pose just behind the cabin and closed his eyes. The area around his eyes turned orange indicating he was in sage mode. Soon, he started to widen his sensing area slowly trying to locate Madara's chakra signature.

Hours passed and it was starting to get dark but Naruto found no trace of the Uchiha Patriarch's presence in either Fire or Lightning country along with the bordering smaller nations. That was when he heard an explosion and a chakra signature was all too familiar to him.

'This chakra signature!' he thought, his eyes now wide open.

" **Naruto...that's Gyuki**." Kurama spoke from inside.

"Yeah, I know Kurama. But what is he doing here?"

" **How should I know that? But whatever he is up to, it can't be any good.** "

Minato, Hanaku and Kushina came running out of the cabin after hearing the explosion. Naruto turned towards them and realised that he was responsible for their safety as well.

"Minato, go to the outpost and contact the captain. Just do what he says for now. You two stay in the cabin." Naruto gave his orders.

"But sensei, don't you think it's if they come with me. We can save time that way." Minato reasoned.

"The blast came from the direction of the outpost. If it's a full-scale attack... we can't take that risk. You are the fastest among all the three. That's why I'm trusting with you this. Don't engage in combat unless there's no choice. Don't stay longer than required. I'll catch up with you guys soon." He said before hurrying in the direction of the blast.

Minato couldn't argue with what Naruto said. So he turned to face his teammates one last time. "Don't worry. Naruto-sensei and the others will take care of whatever it is. I'll be back in a flash." he said with a confident smile before heading towards the outpost.

The two girls nodded and headed back into the cabin and waited with their kunais in hand. Unknown to them, a 10 member Foundation squad led by Wolf was strategically positioned all around the cabin.

'Couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. Now that their sensei is out, this operation will proceed much more smoothly. All we have to do now is to wait for the Jhinchuriki and kill him once he gets here to kidnap the Hyuga girl.' Wolf thought. That thought was the last thing he'll ever think as his throat was sliced silently from behind. The bodies of all ten members of the squad hit the ground simultaneously.

Another 10 members landed right beside the dead bodies. The leader made a few hand signs signalling for the team to proceed with caution. They slowly walked towards the cabin and burst open the door to face two frightened girls.

Hanaku and Kushina were confused for a moment when Minato didn't appear. That's when they saw the symbol on the headbands of the newcomers.

'These are not Konoha ninja. What are Kumo ninja doing here?' Hanaku thought, fear building up with each passing second.

'Mission accomplished.' The leader of the 10-man Kumo ANBU cell thought.

* * *

 **A/N: Yosh. Sorry for the late update. It's been a hectic month and I just couldn't find the time to do it till now. And I'm terribly sorry to tell you guys that the next update too will take some time. Exams are coming up so I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again. Thanks to all the 100 followers, 59 favourites and 11 reviews. I really appreciate this and hope not to dissapoint you people. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Peace out.**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

"Naruto"- Conversations

'Naruto'- Thoughts

" **Naruto"** \- Tailed beast conversation/ Jutsu

' **Naruto** '- Tailed beast thoughts

* * *

The fire was raging all over the place when Minato rushed towards what was supposed to be the outpost, which was now just a pile of wood burnt to ash. A couple of ninjas were using water jutsu to put out the fire, while few were standing on top of the trees which weren't caught on fire and looking around. The Jonin with bandana who was in charge of the outpost was discussing something with another man who was most probably a Jonin too if his calm demeanour in this chaos was anything to go.

"You take whoever you seem fit and start sweeping the area while I salvage the camp and prepare countermeasures." The captain said before he noticed Minato's presence.

"What are you doing here, kid?"

"I'm sorry for the interruption but we don't know the standard protocol during this kind of incidents. We're not sure if we should return back to the village or rendezvous with the stationed unit." Minato replied

"Where is your Jonin in charge? You should be following him instead of splitting away from your team.

"He-uh,..went to scan the nearby areas and locate the source of that blast. He said to contact you and do as you say. My other two teammates are waiting in the cabin for further instructions."

"All by himself?" The other Jonin said almost unbelieving.

"Itsuma. Go with this kid and secure his teammates before you start sweeping. Search for their sensei and retrieve him if possible. But don't try and engage in combat with whatever it is unless to save your life. We can't leave a Konoha ninja behind and if it comes down to the mission or his life, you know what to do." The captain whispered into his subordinate's ear.

Itsuma just nodded before turning towards Minato. "Alright, kid. Let's go get you and your teammates to safety first. Let's go!" he said as both he and Minato took to the trees to head back to the cabin.

* * *

Nothing positive came to his mind as he was heading towards the Gyuuki's chakra signature. Everything pointed towards a chaotic situation which will end as a big headache and a hindrance to this mission. God help whatever that eight-tentacled ox was up to because Naruto was not in a good mood. He was tired of waiting inside the village for so long and when he finally got a chance to make some progress, something had to come up and ruin his plans.

When a pissed off Naruto finally reached the source of the massive chakra spike, he was greeted to the sight of a man in an all too familiar look. With long bi-colour hair, half green half white, with matching eyebrows and a purple mark in the shape of a diamond down the right side of his face was covered in a red translucent bubbling liquid sporting eight tails.

"You're a fool coming here instead of running away, Konoha scum." Blue said when Naruto landed a few meters away from him. His eyes had a fierce look to them which combined with the eight tails chakra cloak gave him a menacing aura.

"Why are you attacking us? You know this act of yours will lead to another war between both our villages." Naruto almost growled. His anger was barely restrained which showed that he wasn't afraid of his opponent.

"Then what do you think we should've done? Sneak into your village and lure your precious Jhinchuriki out to capture just like you dirtbags tried to do?" Blue screamed and readied himself to attack Naruto.

"What the hell are you talki-" Naruto couldn't finish his sentence as he was forced to block a left-handed punch from a charging Blue. 'Good thing I can now enter the sage mode Instantly. Otherwise, that would've been painful.' he thought. Not that Blue knew this or needed to either.

Blue was surprised that Naruto managed to block to his punch while in tailed beast cloak form. But that surprise didn't last long as it only fueled his rage further. He pulled out his blade and attempted a slash at the blonde who easily evaded by jumping back and up onto a tree to distance himself from his fellow Jhinchuriki.

'He's fast. Strong too. I guess he wasn't too stupid coming here after all.' Blue thought and made a note to self not to take it lightly against his opponent.

"What the hell are you talking about? We didn't sneak into your village." Naruto asked while standing on a branch. He thought it was just a random attack at the first but it seemed like there was much more to it he previously thought. Fighting without knowing the full story might ruin whatever chances of peace the two villages had maintained for a while.

"Don't you dare talk! We don't need to hear whatever you Konoha scum have to say. You sank so low as to put a little girl's life at risk by making her a bait for your plans. At least we Kumo shinobi don't do these cheap backhanded tricks. We fight proudly face to face. We don't sacrifice our comrades' life without a care like you Konoha people do."

Naruto stopped listening to Blue's words after the mentioning of a little girl as a bait. His blood ran cold when the unpleasant thought struck his mind. He remembered how his mom told him about her attempted kidnapping by Kumo when she was still a genin. All sense of logic and reasoning left his mind as he came to a conclusion.

'Mom's life is in danger.'

"You don't even have the decency to deny it. You don't deserve to call yourselves shinobi." Blue continued only to be stopped immediately.

"Shut up, you bastard!" Naruto yelled back. He had enough of Blue's accusing rant. He wasn't in any mood to listen to someone talk shit about him now of all times. He needed to get back to Kushina as soon as possible.

As he tried to get away from there and head back to rescue Kushina, he was hit by Blue's chakra cloak tail. That took him by surprise and he ended up crashing into the nearby trees.

"You're not going anywhere." Blue stated, standing firmly while holding his blade in his hands.

Naruto got up and dusted himself while his eyes lay on Blue. His blue full sleeves shirt now sported a big cut where he was hit by the tail. 'I can't afford to waste time here with him.'

'Kurama. Let's get out of here.'

 **'Sure, but there's a problem'**

'What is it?' Naruto snapped, his emotions getting the better of himself.

 **'If you use my chakra, then he can sense it. Then they'll think Konoha has not one but two Jhinchuriki. That'll be a huge problem in the future. Do you still want to take that risk?'**

'Damn it.' Naruto cursed internally. The present situation was getting to him. A fellow Jhinchuriki is his opponent now, so is time. He had to finish his business quickly and head out.

"Alright. You've got my attention now. Let's get this over with." Naruto while making a cross hand sign. Before he could finish creating the clones, Blue was onto him with a kick aimed right at his face. Naruto crouched down and kicked Blue with both his legs while supporting his body on one hand. Blue managed to block that attack with his forearm but winced in pain upon contact.

'Damn him. He's able to inflict pain while I'm using the tailed beast mode. Who _is_ he?!' Blue thought while trying to come up with a plan that would help him land a blow on his opponent. Blue realised he's unable to beat Naruto in Taijutsu and jumped back to create some distance between them. 'He's fast, strong and good at Taijutsu. If that's the case, then long-range ninjutsu must be his weak point.' His lips curved up slightly after that thought.

 **"Lightning Style: Thunder funeral."** Several thunderbolts cut through the ground and raced towards Naruto. The blonde just thrust his hands onto the ground and a thick mud wall rose up in front of him. But that did little to almost nothing as Naruto was still electrocuted by the raging lightning waves which destroyed the wall instantly.

'Dammit. That stung.' Naruto thought while he was struggling to get up to his feet.

 **'Of course it did. He's a Jhinchuriki, idiot. His jutsu's power was enhanced due to that damned Gyuuki's chakra.'**

'That and I used a Mud wall to defend myself. Captain Yamato was right. Lightning beats earth.' Naruto hissed in pain while trying to stand straight.

'This is my chance. I'll finish him before he can think.' Blue thought and lunged forward with his sword ready to strike down Naruto for good.

 **'Naruto...'** Kurama alerted his partner without panicking about the incoming danger.

'yeah, yeah. I sensed him coming. No more playing around.' he replied to Kurama through their mental link while bringing up hands to form a sign which he most preferred.

 **"Shadow Clone Jutsu."**

Four Shadow Clones puffed into existence beside him while Blue was already charging at him. Blue passed lighting chakra through his blade and tried to slash at one of the clones who just ducked below and attempted to sweep him off his feet. Blue reacted quickly and jumped in the air where another clone punched him right across his face which sent him crashing into the ground.

When blue struggled back to his feet, he saw Naruto charging towards him with a blue spinning orb of pure chakra in his palm.

 **"Rasengan."**

Naruto hit Blue with his Rasengan right in the middle of the torso which sent the eight tails Jhinchuriki flying away into the trees. The crash was accompanied by a huge a cloud of dust. Naruto dispelled his shadow clones while he was staring at the cloud of dust which was starting to settle down a little.

Before the dust totally disappeared, Naruto noticed a small movement and before he could realise and react to it, was kicked right in his gut making him fly away and hit a nearby boulder. The impact of his crash almost destroyed the boulder.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that his opponent wasn't covered in a red bubbling chakra cloak anymore. 'He entered the chakra cloak version 2.' Naruto noted to himself.

Blue was now hunching with his arms apart. The tailed beast's chakra which acted as a cloak for him before was now a dark red, nearly black layer of chakra which enveloped him. Anything resembling a human was missing and he looked like a mini version of the eight-tentacled Ox. His chakra levels spiked further. With a beastly roar, he was ready to destroy anything and anyone that stood before him.

* * *

"What the hell happened here?!" Itsuma drawled looking at the bodies which lay outside the cabin where Kushina and Hanaku were supposed to be there. He crouched down in front of a body to take a closer look. It took him a second to recognize but once he did, there no doubt in his mind who they were. Even the pitch black darkness which hovered over them didn't put him off on his conclusion. 'These are bodies of Konoha's ANBU. Those animal masks and the uniform are a dead giveaway. But what are they doing here?' he thought while staring at their bodies.

He immediately got up on his feet and turned towards Minato who was equally confused. "Hey, kid. Wait here while I go and bring reinforcements. Whatever the bloody hell happened here is not something that can be taken lightly. Don't go running off on your own now, okay? I don't want another brat missing."

Minato just nodded in agreement. Even he thought it was for the best if there were more reinforcements now. Because they were obviously facing an enemy who has strength in numbers and skill if the 10 dead bodies are anything to go by.

'It's unusual for an ANBU squad to have so many members. Also, there weren't any reports of ANBU coming towards this side. The attack on the outpost, 10 dead ANBU, genin missing...I don't know what's going on but I'm sure as hell that all those are not some coincidences. Something big is happening and the faster we know what it is, the quicker we can counter it. I need to get to the captain first.' Itsuma thought before taking off in the direction of the outpost.

Minato just carefully observed his surroundings. The raging fire in the distance was the only source of light for him. He walked over towards the nearest body to have a closer look at it. He rolled over the body so that it was on his back now, it's lifeless eyes staring at the dark night sky through the broken wolf mask. He immediately noticed the gaping gash on the neck. The blood around it didn't even dry and the wound looked fresh.

'The gash is thin but deep. Most likely caused by a sword rather a kunai.' He rose up and walked over to another body and rolled it over to recognize a similar cut on its neck too. He repeated his actions to the remaining bodies as well to find that everyone was killed exactly in the same manner. '10 members killed exactly in the same way. A precise cut to their throats, killing them instantly. No other wounds were found so there was no struggle. There are no signs of any fight in the surroundings either. They must've been executed or ambushed by highly skilled enemies. If they were able to sneak behind ANBU, then they must be at least ANBU level or even higher.'

'Plus, both Hanaku and Kushina are missing. Could it be that they were kidnapped by the enemies? Or did they just run away to distance themselves from the fight and hide somewhere? But they couldn't have known about this if even ANBU didn't it coming. So that's a very unlikely scenario. If they were the targets, then how come the ANBU fell without any resistance. Did the enemy factor in the presence of ANBU as well? If so, then they must've planned this thoroughly to execute it so much precision.'

His brain went into overdrive. Speculations, deductions, conclusions, thought after thought flooded his mind. He just buried his face in his palms and rubbed his eyes to clear his mind for a second. He forced his mind to remain calm. 'Ok, so we've got 10 or more highly skilled enemies who most probably kidnapped Kushina and Hanaku. Kumo is most likely to be our enemies since were are their borders. The other nations are too far away to execute such a mission. If we don't act fast, Kushina and Hanaku will be taken too deep into Land of lightning for any Konoha shinobi to venture. Time is of the essence now.' He pinched the bridge of his nose at the last thought.

'Where did this guy go? Shouldn't reinforcements be here by now? He told me not to run away but I don't act quickly, I might lose my teammates.' Then he remembered Naruto's words from the bell test.

 _'Those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum'._

Those words rang so loud in his mind that any hesitation to disobey a direct order from his superior vanished. 'I'm not scum. I will not let Kushina and Hanaku be kidnapped. But...where do I go? How can I find them? I wish sensei was here. He would've known what to do.' He walked towards the wooden house again to take a look at it when he noticed something at the door. He carefully lifted them up to his eye level.

'Red hair strands. They are Kushina's!'

* * *

"Tie them up here."

"Yes sir!" The two ANBU from Kumo replied before tying up the unconscious forms of Kushina and Hanaku. They used ninja wires to bind their wrists securely and ropes to bind their arms and body. Kushina and Hanaku were made to lay down on the cold floor of the huge cave.

The massive cave was dark and the stale, humid air inside it wasn't helping the bleak appearance. The darkness seemed to envelop everyone in a never-ending fortress of the mystic. Spires of rock hung from the ceiling and stood erect on the floor.

"What do we do now, captain?" The second in command of the 10 man cell asked his leader. He was a young, dark-skinned Kumo-nin with short, spiky, white hair and dark eyes accentuated with eyelashes curving upwards from the corners. He wore a dark outfit consisting of an overlong shirt with a hood, with red bandage hand guards, Kumogakure shin guards, and a black forehead protector along with a Kumogakure flak jacket.

"We wait for Lord Blue to return. When he does, we'll start moving back to our village. Lord Raikage will be pleased to know that this mission was a success." The captain replied. He had short and spiky, dark-coloured hair that was largely obscured underneath a stylised forehead protector in the form of a hat. Along with this item, his typical attire consisted of the standard outfit of most Kumogakure shinobi including the distinctive single-strap flak jacket, as well as an eye patch worn over his left eye.

"What about the other girl then? What do we do with the redhead?"

"I'm not sure, Terui. She's not a part of our plan. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A collateral damage." The captain shrugged off.

"So... we kill her?" Terui asked without a hint of hesitation.

"No, you idiot. We'll most probably take her too to the village. She can be used as a leverage."

Terui just nodded in understanding.

Everyone except the unconscious girls froze in their tracks when they felt the wave of malicious chakra that was spiked suddenly. Everyone in their team knew about Blue B and they had no doubt in their minds that this was Blue's or rather the eight tails chakra. But the thought of beast rampaging here sent shivers down their spine. There was only one person who could stop the rampaging tailed beast, their Raikage who was not present. Anyone else who was foolish enough to even try to stop it would end up dead.

"Everyone! Stay alert. We cannot abandon the mission no matter what. Lord Blue can take care of himself."

"But-" Terui wanted to object but was cut off.

"That's an order, Terui."

"Yes, captain Dodai." Terui replied, bowing his head in respect.

'Dammit, Lord Blue. Why did you push yourself so far? You know you can't control the eight tails in that form.' Dodai thought.

* * *

Blue charged towards Naruto in an incredible burst of speed. Naruto who was prepared for the upcoming assault dodged the punch easily but was not expecting the tail attack. He couldn't dodge it but blocked the attack successfully. He landed a few feet away, skidding to a halt but he was content that he was at least on his feet and not in the dust this time.

Blue stared at him intently for a second before standing his ground, looking into the sky and opening his mouth. Red and blue bubbles started to gather above him and started to form a small dense dark violet ball.

'Shit. He's going for the tailed beast bomb.' Naruto thought as he watched Blue prepare the orb of destruction.

Before Naruto could make an effort to stop that attack, Blue swallowed that dense mass of chakra. He then opened his mouth to launch a barrage of glowing red beams at Naruto.

Naruto barely dodged the first shot of **continuous tailed beast bomb** attack aimed at him which left a path of destruction behind him. The next five shots nearly destroyed everything in a 2-kilometre radius. The attack didn't stop until all the chakra that Blue gathered was used up. Naruto was breathing heavily after having to evade six of them.

When Blue realised his attack didn't obliterate his opponent, he repeated his action of forming the tailed beast bomb, only this time, he gathered the chakra faster and the ball of chakra was bigger than before.

"This is bad. Kurama, what do we do now?"

 **"There's only one thing to do now. Use that power."**

Naruto was kind of surprised that Kurama suggested that. The fox hated that power of his and made his dislike clear even when Naruto was only training in that. 'If Kurama himself suggested it, then the stakes must be pretty big.' Naruto thought.

 **"Yeah. They are. You are fighting the Jhinchuriki of the second most powerful tailed beast, in case you forgot."**

"If Gyuuki is the second strongest tailed beast, does it mean you're weaker than him?" Naruto snickered.

 **"What are you talking? I'm the strongest of them all!"** Kurama roared from inside.

"Nah. You're forgetting the Ten-tails, you idiot."

 **"I'll kill you Naruto! Focus on beating your opponent now."**

"Fine fine. This will be over quick." Naruto went through a string of hand seals and finally finished by clapping his hands together.

 **"Hokage style elder jutsu: Tenth Edict on Enlightenment."**

The ground started to tremble and ten wooden pillars with metal spikes rose up from the ground around Blue. The ten pillars surrounded blue in a complete circle leaving no place for his escape. When that was done, Naruto brought his right hand forward with his palm facing Blue. The Kanji for Sit appeared on his palm before it started to glow. Chakra started to gather around his right palm before a beam erupted and shot straight towards the Jhinchuriki trapped inside the wooden pillars.

When the bluish green beam hit Blue directly on his chest, he screamed in pain. The tailed beast bomb disappeared from above after the interruption. The pain kept increasing with each passing second. It felt like his skin was burning, his muscles being ripped to shreds and his blood boil. His screams, which were practically roars could be heard all over the place.

Naruto himself didn't like to do it but he had no other choice left. He had to protect his identity as a Jhinchuriki as well as save Kushina. 'Sorry, eight-o.' Naruto thought as he suppressed the last trace of its chakra in Blue. With the tailed beast chakra suppressed, Blue returned to his normal form and collapsed unconscious. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and sat down from exhaustion when he immobilised his opponent.

"Sensei!"

Naruto snapped his head in the direction of the sound to see Minato landing before. He was relieved to see Minato unscathed but was worried what he was doing here.

"Minato! What are you doing here? I told you-"

"Kushina and Hanaku are missing. I think they are kidnapped."

"Both of them? Damn it!" he cursed. He knew about Kushina but to hear his other student was missing too was infuriating him.

"So you knew?" Minato asked when he didn't see the expected shocked reaction from his sensei.

"Yes. Let's go now. We have to search where they are." Naruto said standing up on his feet.

"No need for that. I think I know where we need to go."

* * *

Naruto and Minato finally reached the entrance to a cave following the red hair strands. Darkness blinded them both when they entered the cave. Their eyes soon started to adjust to low light and found the unconscious forms of Kushina and Hanaku lying in a corner, tied up. Both blondes rushed to them immediately and skidded to halt.

Naruto lifted Kushina and held her by her shoulder and shook her ."Mo-" He realised his mistake a little too late and shut his mouth before he could finish the word. "Kushina. Wake up." he murmured while patting her cheek. But he got no response in return from her.

He checked for any injuries to identify the cause of her unconsciousness but found none. That's when something struck his mind. 'Could it be?' he thought for a second before deciding to check whether his suspicions are true or not. Forming a single-handed ram seal, he tried to release any genjutsu which was present.

True to his suspicions, Kushina's face contorted with unease after she was broken out of the genjutsu. He was worried for a second before he visibly relaxed after seeing Kushina slowly trying to open her eyes. He laid her back against the wall of the cave and moved over towards Hanaku who was just broken out of the genjutsu by Minato after he observed what happened to Kushina.

Kushina slowly opened her eyes to see a blur of yellow. When her vision began to clear a little she could see a spiky blonde haired guy smiling fondly at her.

Naruto was staring intently at Hanaku's closed eyelids, waiting for them to open. He never looked straight into her eyes. He always tried to avoid it. He did it without even realising he was trying so hard to do that. Maybe it was due to the guilt he bore which made him feel ashamed to look into her eyes. Maybe it was the fear of being reminded of someone he rather didn't want to. Never would've he imagined that thinking of her would sting his heart rather than put a smile on his face. It was ironic how he couldn't wait to see those eyes which he desperately avoided for a month now.

When Hanaku's eyelids started to part, he held his breath without even realising. When her eyes opened completely, one look into them and Naruto was pulled into a completely different world.

* * *

"Captain Rohano, what do we do with these bodies now?" Itsuma asked who oversaw the damage control operations alongside his friend and the current captain of the outpost.

"Seal them. We must send them to Konoha. I already dispatched a message to the village informing the events here." Rohano replied.

"Yes, sir."

"Cut it out, Itsuma. It's not the time."

"Protocol is protocol, my friend."

"What about that team which arrived this afternoon. Any trace of them?"

"That's the only thing left to do. I've already sent 4 men to search all over the perimeter and border but nothing so far. I told that kid to stay here and he still left. Genin these days have no discipline."

"I hope they are inside the border. We are not authorized to enter Kumo without permission."

"To hell with permission! They just attacked us dammit and you're still playing by the rules?" Itsuma hissed, keeping his voice low but not his frustration or intentions.

"Playing by the rules is our advantage now Itsuma. If we do anything reckless now, we are giving away our trump card. They just attacked our outpost without a cause on a neutral ground. Unless they want a full-on war, this act of theirs puts Kumo on backfoot. I'm not going to do something reckless that will not only lose our upper hand but also our jobs."

Itsuma hated their position but he couldn't argue with Rohano's logic. What his friend told him was right. They are expressly forbidden to enter foreign lands which are not their allies without the Hokage's permission. 'Dammit. Just be found already, you idiots.' Itsuma cursed as he just walked away from there.

* * *

The world around him changed in a flash. Gone was the dark and damp cave. It was replaced by a very familiar spot. 'The top of the Hokage monument.' Naruto noted. His eyes narrowed in suspicion and were searching for something that would make a meaning out of this. 'Is this a genjutsu?' he thought. It very well could. The Kidnappers could've left Kushina and Hanaku as bait to lure him and Minato in. 'But how could they know of this location? This is way too-' his thoughts ceased when something caught his eye.

A person. A woman. A woman in pink half sleeves t-shirt over a dark grey full sleeves one and a light grey long skirt with brown sandals. A woman with dark blue hair in long hime cut.

His breath hitched. His heart skipped a beat. His vision blurred as tears started to roll down his cheeks. He ran towards her and hugged from behind surprising the woman. He held her tightly like he was afraid of letting her go. "I missed you." he whispered, still sobbing.

For the first time in over a month, he felt truly happy. He felt complete again. He was at peace. The overwhelming feeling he was having now surpassed everything and anything he felt before.

She slowly eased herself out of his hold and turned around to look at him questioningly. "I-I'm sorry but who are you?".

That question felt like a slap right across his face. Naruto was left with his mouth hanging open. It took him a while regain his composure but he eventually did. "W-what do you m-mean? It's me." he replied, his smile a little forced.

"I don't know who you are but I'm waiting for Naruto. Are you waiting for someone too?"

The first six words that left her mouth kept replaying in his mind over and over again. Every time the words kept repeating, the weight of them kept increasing. The burden he felt kept increasing and he felt like he would be crushed by it. 'This isn't real. No...' He went into denial, desperately clinging onto his thining hope that it was just a joke by her. But even a Joke felt like a stab through his heart. He had to stop this.

He caught held her at the shoulder and shook her while staring right into her eyes. "It is me Hinata. Naruto. See? I have the yellow hair and ..and the markings here." he said, pointing his features to her. He hoped she would understand his seriousness and drop the act.

She slowly removed his hands off from her. "No. You're not my Naruto. You may look like him but you're not him." she replied firmly.

"What do you mean by that?! How can that even be possible?" Naruto yelled in frustration. He had enough of this confusion.

Hinata took a deep breath before answering. "Even I thought you were Naruto at first. I was confused too, you know. Just like how you are now. But it became clear later that you're not him. But don't worry. He will return. He promised me after all and he never goes back on his word." she replied, looking at the ground and smiling fondly.

Naruto didn't know what to say. He couldn't make anything from her words. 'What kind of sick Genjustu is this?!' he thought. He couldn't take it anymore. Someone was trying to break him. Play with his mind and make him suffer.

 **"Release!"**

"That won't work. This is not a Genjutsu, silly." She said, giggling at his actions.

True to her word, nothing happened confirming it wasn't a Genjutsu. He saw her giggling and laughing. Usually, his heart would've melted seeing her laugh. But not today. It was busy being crushed into pieces. He collapsed onto the ground, helpless, hopeless and utterly clueless.

"It's ok to be confused sometimes. Only after being confused about something, you will get full clarity about it. You can be sure after that confusion passes. The truth you will learn will be unhindered by anything." Hinata continued while staring over the mountain onto the village. Naruto could do nothing except stare back at her.

"I got my clarity. That's why I'm so confident that you're not my Naruto. You just need to get yours now."

"How?" Naruto asked while avoiding looking at her eyes.

"I don't know. I don't know how your mind functions. It depends on each individual. But...maybe if I tell you how I realised, you might find some clues. How about it?" She said, turning back and looking at him. Naruto reluctantly nodded his head. He knew whatever she was going to say would hurt him. But he wanted to know it. 'The truth' as she called it.

"Hmmm. Where do I begin?" she mused while tapping her lips with her index finger. "Ok, I'll start from the beginning then. When I woke up, I was in a strange place where everything was white. Nothing else. An endless expanse of nothing but snow white void. That was the first time I saw you. You were so sad then. Crying and grieving. There was Sasuke too. Although I don't know how he ended up with you instead of Naruto."

"There was also the sage of six paths. The three of you talked for a while before you started to vanish. I became worried and tried to stop but nothing changed. Silly me. Back then, I thought you were Naruto. I was confused as I said before."

"Later I ended up here, on this mountaintop. Ever since then, I've been watching you. I observed every movement of yours. I could sense every thought of yours. I could hear every word of yours. It is strange but I felt like we were connected."

"But one thing which was clear from the very beginning is your behaviour. It is completely different from Naruto's. The way you think, talk and act is nothing like him."

Naruto immediately got up and walked towards her. "Hinata. You've got to believe me. I am Naruto. It's just...just that...I've changed. I had to. If things had to get change, then it was crucial that I did first. I failed with my way of thinking before. But I can't afford to fail this time. This is the only chance I've got and I cannot let it waste. It is because I promised you that I would make everything right that I had to change. I changed because I intend to keep my promise."

"You see, that exactly why I know you're not Naruto. He wouldn't have changed no matter what. And what is to say that your nature of keeping your promises hasn't changed along with you. I know I could trust him because I know him and his nature." She replied.

"But..." Naruto tried to plead his case but he couldn't speak anything. He found nothing that would answer her question. He had no arguments which would convince her that's he is Naruto.

"You can't even defend yourself. Because you don't think that whatever reason you give will be sufficient enough. You're not even confident about yourself now, are you?" She asked. The smile she sported had no relation to the questions she was asking.

Each question felt like a slap. They were direct, unreluctant and unrestrained. But most importantly, these questions were very familiar. These are the questions that kept him awake at nights. These are the questions he lost his sleep over because he had no answer to them when he asked them to himself.

He didn't want to stay in that place. 'I need to leave. But how? What is this place? I don't even know how I got here.'

"What did they do to deserve such treatment from you?"

"What?" He asked, surprised and confused at that question.

"Why are you trying so hard to avoid Hanaku? What did she do? Why are you being so cold towards Tsunade? Why do you think Jiraiya hates you? Why do you hate this world so much?" Her voice changed this time. Gone was the soft and cheerful tone. Gone was the smile he had on her face. Her expression was rigid and almost stern.

Naruto didn't even try answering that. He knew he was at fault. Though he didn't want to do it, it somehow felt okay if he did those things. Somehow for the first time, he felt being selfish was better.

"You are afraid to look into her eyes because it might remind you of me and my death. You were afraid to be reminded of the pain that was brought along with every memory of mine. Was that Hanaku's fault?"

"Tsunade wanted answers from you. She wanted to know the truth. Is that why you scared her like that? Jiraiya doesn't trust you because he doesn't know who you are. Is that really a bad thing? This is the shinobi world. Trust is a very valuable thing. Did you expect it so easily? They are just being wary of you and want to know the truth. Can you really blame them for that?"

"You said you are on your own this time. That the people around you are mere shadows. That's not something Naruto would say. Naruto believes in people around and makes them believe in him in return. That's his real strength."

"He was always looked down by the villagers during his childhood. People used to treat him coldly. But a few years later, things changed and he became the hero of the village. The whole ninja world looked up to him. But he was the same during both phases of his life."

"I still remember him walking all alone on the streets. He used to smile brightly but I know how much he suffered from the inside. Then master Jiraiya came along and for the first time, he had someone whom he could call as a family. But when he died, Naruto lost his only family. But he didn't change. He continued to live as he always did."

"He gained and lost so many things and people but he never changed. You know why? Because he believed in himself and the ones around him. He always did. He believed that he could make things better even when they couldn't be worse. His belief was his greatest strength and he always succeeded. He mourns his loss but also appreciates what he has. He never let himself be something else because he knows that the people who love him would never want him to change."

"You, on the other hand, have no self-belief at all. You have no faith in yourself or anyone around you. You gave up on everything at one point. He would never do that. No matter what happened, he would never give up. Because that's his nindo, his ninja way."

'My Nindo. My ninja way.' Naruto thought, looking at his palm. Memories started to flash before him. Memories how he pledged at the grave of Haku and Zabuza deciding on his Nindo, how he never gave up during the fight against Neji, the fight against Orochimaru and Kabuto, the battle against Pain and Madara, how he convinced Obito to change back and how he helped Sasuke return back to the village.

Those memories reminded him of everything he lost and gained in his life. Every bond he formed, every friend he made, everyone he failed and everyone who helped and supported him all these years.

'All of that...Everything I achieved in my life so far...was because of my Nindo. Without my Nindo...I'm even a ninja. Yet...I abandoned it. I discarded everything I did before...just because of a Hurdle.' He clenched his fist tightly and slammed it on the ground. 'How could I?! How could I be so stupid? I forsake my self.' he thought, letting his tears flow freely.

'I disregarded everything. My parent's sacrifice, Pervy sage's trust, everything! Dammit.' His knuckles started to bleed from the repeated punching to the ground.

'But...Not anymore.'

He opened his eyes and got up. He looked at the Sun which was shining brightly. 'Mom, Dad, Pervy Sage, Iruka Sensei and Kakashi sensei. I'm sorry.'

He turned to thank Hinata for helping him find his way back only to find her missing from she was earlier. He looked around but couldn't find her anywhere. He just walked over to where she stood earlier and looked at the ground. He slowly crouched down and moved his fingers over the footprints. 'I promised to save you but it was you who saved me. Thank you.'

The world around spiralled and brought him back into the cave. He was still staring intently into those pearlescent eyes, remembering what happened just before. He was brought out of his musings when he heard a voice.

"Sensei. I-I'm sorry. I-"

" . It's alright. Besides, I'm the one who should be sorry." Naruto cut her off while hugging her close. 'I've ignored you and kept you away. I should be the one apologising. I'm sorry, Hanaku. Forgive me.' he thought while trying to soothe her.

'I don't know what happened back there but I realised one thing. I was wrong. All this time, I was so wrong. But not anymore.'

"You both should be sorry. After all, it's not every day that someone's luck runs out at the last moment." A voice spoke, alerting Naruto and the others.

Naruto was quick to get back on his feet to face whoever the source of that voice was. His expression became stern when he saw 20 men drop down before him. All of them sporting a cocky grin just infuriated him further. He suddenly felt someone tug his pants. When he looked down, he saw Hanaku trying to get back on her feet while using his leg as a support. Pride filled his heart while looking at her.

'Even in that condition, she still wants to fight rather than simply depending upon me.' he thought while beaming at her. "Relax Hanaku. Don't strain yourself too much. I will take care of this now. You too, Kushina. Just take it easy. Sit back and watch your sensei wipe the floor with these guys." Naruto said with a confident smirk on his face.

"Yeah. You guys should rest until you both have recovered completely." Minato said while taking out a kunai and taking his stance.

"Are you blind, Blondie? There are 20 of them and only 2 of you. You need all the help you can get now." Kushina shot back, her pride getting the better of her. She knew she couldn't help them much but she's not going to just sit back and watch her teammate and sensei get slaughtered. If she's going to die in that process, at least she'll die with honour.

'I can't argue with her logic. These guys killed 10 ANBU members without breaking a sweat. I know sensei is strong but 20 against two is a bad ratio to have.' Minato thought while tightening his grip on the Kunai's handle. He didn't know if it was due to fear or excitement that his hand was trembling a little.

"You're wrong, Kushina. It's not 20 vs 2. It's 20 vs 1. Minato will join you guys." Naruto said, surprising everyone around him. All three of his students stared at him incredulously.

"You bastard! You'll pay for your words." One of the Kumo shinobi yelled from the group.

"Don't make promises you know you can't keep. Just give us the Hyuga girl and we may let you live." Dodai replied calmly. He was unnerved by how confident Naruto sounded but he couldn't lose face now. He understood that Naruto was a strong and capable shinobi. It's not every day that someone defeats a Jhinchuriki who knows how to wield the power of the tailed beasts.

'So they were after Hanaku, huh. By the sound of it, they don't seem to know that Mom is a Jhinchuriki. But it doesn't matter now.' Naruto just smiled at that before replying. "I never go back on my word." He said as he moved his right hand towards the pouch around his waist while his left hand towards the pouch tied around his left leg. "Because..." he said as he drew 4 Kunai from each pouch, holding them between his fingers. "That's my nindo, my ninja way."

Minato saw his sensei draw 8 Kunai from his pouches. He found it strange that his sensei pulled out so many. It was usually one or two if the ninja was proficient in using both his hands with equal precision. But 8 was just too much. But the strangest of all things was the shape of the Kunai. He never saw such a thing. It had 3 prongs with a longer-than-usual handle with a seal on it. 'What is that?' he thought. He saw Naruto throw all those Kunai at their enemy but not even one of them hit anyone from the group.

"What a pathetic aim. Hahahaha. And you claim to wipe the floor with us?" Minato heard someone say. He hated it but that guy had a point. How could they even hope to win against an opponent who didn't move from their positions just by predicting the trajectory of Kunai and knowing it wouldn't hit them.

"Minato. Be on guard and cover Hanaku and Kushina. It'll your duty to hold back if someone were to attack by getting past me." Naruto said while forming a Rasengan in his hand, all the while staring at his opponents.

Minato was stunned when he saw the violently rotating blue sphere of chakra in Naruto's hand. He could feel the power behind it just by looking at it. Before he could express his astonishment, his sensei just disappeared out of his sight. He blinked in confusion and not even a second later, he heard a cry of pain from the side where the Kumo shinobi were.

He saw Naruto hit one of them with the Rasengan before disappearing in flash. Naruto reappeared in another corner the next instance and landed another hit. Even Minato couldn't follow the speed at which Naruto was travelling. It looked like flashes of yellow here and there. Before he knew, all 20 members were either on the ground or crashed onto the walls of the cave. He almost jumped out of his kin when Naruto reappeared in front of him.

"S-sensei...w-what was t-that?" Minato stammered, finding it hard to get his words out. He still hasn't processed what exactly happened in front of his eyes.

Naruto looked down at Minato with a beaming smile. He couldn't help but think how funny this situation was, seeing Minato with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Minato Namikaze, the coolest and most badass Hokage in the history of Konoha was stunned by his display. It instilled a great sense of pride in him, though he stole both of his father's signature jutsus. Kushina and Hanaku were no different from the smaller blonde either.

"That was me wiping the floor those guys. Just like I promised." Naruto replied with a smug smile.

* * *

"What happened there, Dodai? I want all the details." A, the third Raikage asked his most trusted subordinate. It took all of his self-control not to lose his cool right now. It's been three days since the team he personally assembled who were supposed to bring back a Hyuga girl came back with broken bones instead. He couldn't believe even Blue was defeated.

Dodai, who was now sporting a bandaged arm hung his head down in shame. "I...I'm sorry Lord Raikage." he said, gulping before said something else.

But A beat him to that. "I'm not interested in apologies! I want to what went wrong in that mission!" he yelled, slamming his hand on the desk and breaking it in the process.

Dodai's body froze for a second due to that outburst. But one look into his village leader's impatient eyes told him that a broken arm would be least of his worries if he didn't answer.

"There was this guy, Lord Raikage. He..." Dodai drawled, implying the obvious.

"You're saying one guy beat 20 of my best men and Blue?" he asked.

Dodai just nodded in response. He could see how his Raikage was holding back his anger. To say 21 men were defeated by one guy was a humiliation beyond anything. He wished that guy just killed him instead of leaving him like that.

"Who was he? How did he defeat 20 men so easily." A enquired as he sat back in his chair.

"I don't know my Lord. All we saw was just yellow flashes."

'Yellow flashes, huh? Who is this yellow flash?'

* * *

 **A/N(Important. Please read this): I just want to explain a scene which might have confused you guys a little. The conversation between Naruto and Hinata on top of the Hokage mountain. I'm sure the sure the first question you guys might have is where did Hinata come from? Well, she didn't. It's not Hinata. That whole scene happens inside Naruto's mind. It's just a figment of his imagination. That scene was a dramatic representation of his internal from his POV** **.**

 **We all know Naruto's behaviour was off from the beginning. That's because his subconscious was torn asunder. One part was his true and original self while the other part was a more Rational one which was born out of his guilt. When Naruto looked into Hanaku's eyes, that triggered his subconsciousness to have the confrontation between the two parts. Hinata was the representation of his true self while Naruto was the representation of his rational side.**

 **Subconsciously, Naruto wants to return back to usual self. But he's afraid that he will mess up again and is trying to change forcibly. He basically convinced himself to revert back to his usual self after realising the mistakes. Hinata was not actually present in there. Not even chakra. I hope it's clear.**

 **Moving on, I know it's been a while. Like I said before, exams. But I'm back to writing again and you can expect the next chapter before 2019. No promises though I'll my best to do it. I've got a huge increase in the number of favs and followers recently. Thank you so much. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you. Peace out.**


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